JP2017084282A - Workflow processing program, workflow processing method and workflow processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a workflow processing program, a workflow processing method and a workflow processor capable of improving usability.SOLUTION: A workflow management unit receives a designation of a plurality of cases by inputting a search condition (S10, S12). Upon reception of a necessity survey data creation instruction (pressing of a necessity survey data creation button) relevant to plurality of cases (S18: YES), the workflow management unit carries out a grouping on the plurality of cases based on the grouping rules stored in a property table 58 (S24), and forwards a workflow for summarizing of the plurality of cases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a workflow processing program, a workflow processing method, and a workflow processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a workflow system is known as a system for supporting processes such as management of intellectual property rights and circulation, examination, and approval related to intellectual property work (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In a conventional workflow system, when there are a plurality of cases with the same business content, a technique for processing a plurality of cases in a bundle is also known in order to process a plurality of cases simultaneously (for example, Patent Document 1, (See 2nd grade).

Japanese Patent No. 5651795 JP 2004-326598 A

  However, in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is not easy to use, for example, a person in charge or an administrator needs to select a case to be included in a bundle.

  In one aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a workflow processing program, a workflow processing method, and a workflow processing apparatus capable of improving usability.

  In one aspect, the workflow processing program accepts designation of a plurality of cases corresponding to processing to be forwarded in the workflow, and accepts a predetermined instruction for the plurality of cases, based on the grouping rules stored in the storage unit, This is a program that allows a computer to execute a process that allows a workflow to be forwarded in units of groups for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases.

  Usability can be improved.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a workflow system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the case information management server, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the client terminal. It is a functional block diagram of a matter information management server. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the table which a matter information management server has. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a necessity investigation data creation process. It is a figure which shows an example of a search condition designation | designated screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the examination request | requirement list screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a necessity investigation data creation screen. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a workflow creation process. It is FIG. (1) which shows an example of a necessity summary creation screen. It is FIG. (2) which shows an example of a necessity summary creation screen. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display process of ToDo screen. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a ToDo screen (part 1); FIG. 10 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a ToDo screen. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a workflow main screen (part 1); FIG. 10 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a workflow main screen. FIG. 10 is a third diagram illustrating an example of a workflow main screen. It is FIG. (4) which shows an example of a workflow main screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a related matter sort rule table. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of group summarization, separation, and reorganization processing. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a ToDo screen (part 3); It is a figure which shows an example of a flow summary screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a flow reorganization screen.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a workflow system will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a workflow system 100 according to an embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the workflow system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a case information management server 10 as a workflow processing apparatus and a plurality of client terminals 70. The case information management server 10 and the client terminal 70 are connected by a network 80 such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The case information management server 10 manages information on matters relating to intellectual property, and cooperates with a plurality of client terminals 70 to execute processing (workflow processing) such as circulation, examination, and approval relating to intellectual property work. Device.

  FIG. 2A shows the hardware configuration of the case information management server 10. As shown in FIG. 2A, the case information management server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 90, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 92, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 94, and a storage unit (here, an HDD (Hard Disk). Drive)) 96, network interface 97, portable storage medium drive 99, and the like. Each component of the item information management server 10 is connected to the bus 98. In the case information management server 10, a program (including a workflow processing program) stored in the ROM 92 or the HDD 96 or a program (including a workflow processing program) read from the portable storage medium 91 by the portable storage medium drive 99. When executed by the CPU 90, the functions as the case management unit 40 and the workflow management unit 42 shown in FIG. 3 are realized. FIG. 3 also shows the table group 60 managed by the case information management server 10.

  The case management unit 40 receives input of case information related to intellectual property and manages the input in the basic information table 50. The basic information table 50 stores various types of information for each item. For example, in the basic information table 50, as shown in FIG. 4, a reference number, a company reference number, a patent office reference number, a status code, an in-house administrative employee number, an in-house technical employee number, and a contact person Stores information such as employee number, examination request deadline, and pension payment deadline. Among these, the reference number is a primary key (PK).

  The workflow management unit 42 manages information on a workflow created by a user, a result of necessity examination regarding examination request, annuity payment, etc. made by a user in an invention department or an intellectual property department. The workflow management unit 42 forwards the workflow to the forwarding destination designated by the user. The workflow information is managed in the workflow main table 52 and the workflow information table 54. In addition, the necessity determination result at the forwarding destination is managed in the necessity management table 56. Here, in the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 creates and forwards a summary workflow when a plurality of cases satisfying a predetermined relationship are forwarded to the same forwarding destination. The predetermined relationship is managed in a property table 58 as a storage unit shown in FIG. In addition, the function as a reception part, a process part, an execution part, a display control part, and a production | generation part is implement | achieved including the workflow management part 42 of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the workflow main table 52 includes a workflow management number, a management number, an intermediate history number, a necessity management number, a process instance ID, a summary flow process instance ID, a summary flow name, and a response deadline date of the invention department. Various information such as the reply due date of the base intellectual property and the reply due date of the intellectual property department are stored. Among these, the workflow management number is a primary key (PK), and the management number, intermediate history number, necessity management number, and process instance ID are external keys (FK). For example, the basic information table 50 is linked to the workflow main table 52 by the management number, and the necessity management table 56 is linked to the workflow main table 52 by the necessity management number. Further, the workflow information table 54 is linked to the workflow main table 52 by the process instance ID.

  Here, the workflow main table 52 is created for each item to be forwarded. When a plurality of cases are forwarded together, a workflow main table 52 for summarization is created separately from the workflow main table 52 for each case. Note that the process instance ID set in the workflow main table 52 for summarization is set in the “summary flow process instance ID” of the workflow main table 52 of the items to be summarized. As a result, the workflow main table 52 of each item and the workflow main table 52 for summarization are associated with each other.

  For the summary flow name, the answering date for the invention department, the answering date for the base intellectual property, the answering date for the intellectual property department, etc., the name and date set by the user may be stored or based on a predetermined rule. The name and date that are set may be stored.

  The workflow information table 54 is a table that stores various types of information related to workflow forwarding. Specifically, the process information table 54 stores a process instance ID, procedure type, immediately preceding process code, immediately preceding status code, immediately preceding position code, current process code, current status code, current position code, and the like. Among these, the process instance ID is a primary key (PK).

  The necessity management table 56 is a table for managing the result of necessity examination regarding examination request, pension management and the like made by a user in the invention department or the intellectual property department. In the necessity management table 56, as shown in FIG. 4, reference number, necessity type, necessity investigation implementation date, necessity management number, necessity group number, necessity group record number, primary group unit, primary Group, secondary group unit, secondary group, result of necessity of invention department, reason of necessity of invention department, answer date of necessity of invention department, result of necessity of intellectual property department, reason of necessity of intellectual property department, knowledge Stores various information such as the necessity response date of the goods department.

  Here, when workflows of a plurality of cases are collected, the necessity management number of the case that comes first when the plurality of cases are sorted by reference number or the like is set as the necessity group number. Further, in the necessity management table 56 having the same necessity group number, sequential numbers starting from 1 are set as necessity group record numbers.

  In each of the primary group unit, the primary group, the secondary group unit, and the secondary group, information indicating what has been grouped (grouped) is stored. The result of necessity of the invention department, the reason for necessity of the invention department, etc. store the specific contents of necessity examination in each department.

  The property table 58 stores a rule (grouping rule) for collecting cases having a specific relationship. The grouping rule includes, for example, primary group unit setting and secondary group unit setting. In each group unit setting, a combination of a table name and an item name used for grouping is defined. A user (for example, an administrator) can set whether to use only the primary group unit setting or both the primary group unit setting and the secondary group unit setting as a grouping rule. For example, as the primary / secondary group unit setting, the department in charge of in-house technology included in the basic information table 50 and the corresponding product name included in the basic information table 50 are defined, and both group unit settings are used. Suppose that In this case, cases where the departments to which the technical staff belongs and the corresponding product names match are automatically grouped.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the client terminal 70 is a terminal used by a user (for example, a user in the intellectual property department or the invention department) who performs a business related to intellectual property. FIG. 2B shows the hardware configuration of the client terminal 70. As shown in FIG. 2B, the client terminal 70 can read the CPU 190, ROM 192, RAM 194, storage unit (HDD, etc.) 196, network interface 197, input unit 195, display unit 193, and portable storage medium 191. A portable storage medium drive 199 and the like. Each component of the client terminal 70 is connected to the bus 198. The input unit 195 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like, and the display unit 193 includes a liquid crystal display and the like. The CPU 190 functions as a control unit that controls processing such as screen display on the display unit 193 and transmission of information input via the input unit 195 to the case information management server 10 by executing the program.

(Necessity investigation data creation processing by the matter information management server 10)
Hereinafter, the necessity investigation data creation processing by the case information management server 10 will be described along the flowchart of FIG. 5 with reference to other drawings as appropriate. This process is a process for creating necessity investigation data based on a case selected by the user from cases that satisfy a certain condition. As a premise of the processing of FIG. 5, it is assumed that the search condition designation screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70 in response to a request from the user.

  In the process of FIG. 5, first, in step S10, the workflow management unit 42 waits until the “search” button in the search condition designation screen is pressed by the user.

  Here, the user designates the display format of the screen to be displayed next in the “display format” column indicated by reference numeral A in the search condition designation screen of FIG. Here, it is assumed that the user designates “examination request list” via the input unit 195. Further, the user inputs the examination request deadline range of the search target item in the “designated deadline date” field indicated by the symbol B on the search condition designation screen. In addition, the user inputs another search condition for searching for a case using the input field indicated by the symbol C. When the workflow management unit 42 receives information that the user has pressed the “search” button indicated by the symbol D, the process proceeds to step S12, and the basic information table 50 is searched based on the input search condition. The workflow management unit 42 displays the number of searched cases in the “search result” field indicated by the symbol E on the search condition designation screen.

  Next, in step S14, the workflow management unit 42 waits until the user presses the “display” button (see reference F) in the search condition designation screen of FIG. The user confirms the number of search results (see symbol E in FIG. 6) and then presses the “display” button. When the number of search results is enormous, the user may press the “display” button after re-entering the search conditions and performing a search again.

  When the workflow management unit 42 receives information that the “display” button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S 16, and the workflow management unit 42 displays the examination request list screen shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70. To do. The examination request list screen of FIG. 7 displays a list of information on the cases searched based on the search conditions input by the user.

  In step S18, the process waits until the “necessity investigation data creation” button is pressed by the user. Here, when the examination request list screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 193, the user uses the input unit 195 to select a case that should be the subject of necessity investigation. For example, the user uses a mouse or the like to check a “select” check box (see symbol G) of a case to be targeted. Then, after the selection is completed, the user presses a “necessity confirmation data creation” button indicated by a symbol H.

  When the “necessity confirmation data creation” button is pressed by the user, the workflow management unit 42 proceeds to step S20 and displays the necessity investigation data creation screen shown in FIG. 8 on the display unit 193. Next, in step S22, the workflow management unit 42 waits until the “create” button is pressed by the user. Here, when the necessity investigation data creation screen is displayed on the display unit 193, the user uses the input unit 195 to input at least the “necessity investigation implementation date” field, Press the “Create” button shown in.

  Upon receiving the information that the “Create” button has been pressed by the user, the workflow management unit 42 proceeds to Step S24 and executes creation of necessity investigation data by batch processing.

  Here, when creating necessity investigation data, the workflow management unit 42 refers to the grouping rules in the property table 58 and collects a plurality of cases. For example, as the primary group unit setting of the property table 58, the department to which the in-house technical staff belongs is set, the corresponding product name is set in the secondary group unit setting, and the user (administrator or the like) uses both for grouping. Is set by. In this case, the workflow management unit 42 collects a plurality of items having the same corresponding product name with the department to which the in-house technical staff belongs, and includes them in one workflow. In the “primary group unit” of the necessity management table, information indicating that the information is compiled based on the department to which the in-house technical staff belongs is stored, and in the “primary group”, the department actually used for the summary is stored. Codes etc. are stored. The “secondary group unit” stores information indicating that the products are compiled based on the corresponding product names, and the “secondary group” stores codes indicating the corresponding product names actually used for the summary. Is done.

(Workflow creation process by case information management server 10)
Next, the workflow creation processing by the case information management server 10 will be described in detail along the flowchart of FIG. 9 with reference to other drawings as appropriate. This process is a process for creating a workflow to be forwarded from the necessity investigation data created in the process of FIG.

  In the process of FIG. 9, first, in step S30, the workflow management unit 42 waits until there is a necessity summary creation screen display request from the user. If a user's necessity summary creation screen display request is received, the process proceeds to step S 32, and the workflow management unit 42 displays a necessity summary creation screen as shown in FIG. 10 on the display unit 193.

  Next, in step S34, the workflow management unit 42 waits until the “search” button is pressed by the user. When the user inputs the survey implementation date indicated by the symbol J in FIG. 10 and presses the “Search” button indicated by the symbol K, the workflow management unit 42 proceeds to step S36 and searches using the input information. And the search result is displayed as shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S <b> 38, the workflow management unit 42 stands by until the “group confirmation” button is pressed by the user. When there is an item (group) for which the workflow is to be forwarded, the user checks the “Select” checkbox indicated by the symbol L in FIG. 11 and designates the “workflow forwarding destination” indicated by the symbol M, then “ Press the “Group Confirm” button. Upon receiving information that the “group confirmation” button has been pressed by the user, the workflow management unit 42 proceeds to step S40 and creates a new workflow.

  Here, the workflow management unit 42 creates a workflow main table 52 for each selected item, and also creates a summary workflow main table 52. Then, the process instance ID included in the summary workflow main table 52 is set in the summary flow process instance ID of the workflow main table 52 of each case. As a result, the summary workflow main table and the workflow main table of each item included in the summary are linked (associated).

  Next, in step S42, the workflow management unit 42 transmits the workflow to the forwarding destination designated by the user in the column indicated by the symbol M in FIG. The workflow management unit 42 notifies the forwarding destination user's mail address that the workflow has been forwarded to the forwarding destination. As a result, the forwarding destination user can recognize that the workflow has been forwarded.

  With the above, all the processes in FIG. 9 are completed.

(Display processing by client terminal 70)
Next, the display process of the ToDo screen by the client terminal 70 will be described in detail along the flowchart of FIG. This process is a process of displaying a workflow list screen (ToDo screen) on the client terminal 70 to which the workflow has been forwarded.

  In the process of FIG. 12, first, in step S50, the control unit of the client terminal 70 stands by until a display request for the ToDo screen is received from the user. In this case, when the forwarding destination user inputs a ToDo screen display request at the client terminal 70, the process proceeds to step S52.

  If transfering it to step S52, a control part will acquire the workflow main table 52 from which the user of the client terminal 70 is a forwarding destination from the matter information management server 10. FIG.

  Next, in step S54, the control unit determines whether there is an acquired workflow main table 52 in which a value is input to the summary flow process instance ID.

  If the determination in step S54 is affirmative, the control unit moves to step S56 and displays a ToDo screen including a summary icon display on the display unit 193. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when a combined workflow exists, a combined icon is displayed as indicated by a symbol O. This makes it easy for the user to recognize whether the displayed workflow is a workflow for one item or a workflow in which a plurality of items are collected.

  In the ToDo screen of FIG. 13, there are columns for “statutory deadline date” and “answer deadline date”. Here, in the case of a summary workflow, the earliest date among the legal deadline date and the reply deadline date stored in the workflow main table 52 of each item is displayed. As a result, even in a workflow in which a plurality of cases are collected, it is possible to display an appropriate date for preventing the procedure deadline. The “response deadline date” is a date that is automatically determined based on the “legal deadline date” or the like, for example, how many days before the “statutory deadline date”.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step S54 is negative, the process proceeds to step S58, and the control unit displays a ToDo screen without a summary icon display. Specifically, a screen as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed. On the ToDo screen of FIG. 14, the collective icons are not displayed in all cases as indicated by the symbol O ′. In FIG. 13, a summary icon is displayed in the summary workflow so that it can be identified whether or not the summary workflow is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be possible to identify whether the workflow is a summary workflow by displaying other than the summary icons.

  Here, it is assumed that the user selects the identification number “No” of the summary workflow on which the summary icon is displayed on the ToDo screen of FIG. 13. In this case, the workflow management unit 42 displays a “workflow main” screen as shown in FIG. 15 on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70. Then, when the user selects “examination request necessity” indicated by a symbol R on the screen of FIG. 15, for example, the workflow management unit 42 is included in the summary workflow as shown in FIG. 16 according to the selection. Display information about each Item. When scrolling in the right direction using the scroll bar (see S in the screen of FIG. 16), as shown in FIG. 17, whether or not the examination request is individually required for each case included in the summary workflow. It is possible to input the examination result, the necessity reason, and the like.

Note that, in the screens of FIGS. 16 and 17, the items included in the summary workflow are sorted and displayed according to the following rules (1) and (2).
(1) The display order of necessity group record number = 1 in the necessity management table 56 is set to the first.
(2) The display order of the cases where the necessity group record number of the necessity management table 56 is not 1 is set to the second or later (however, the cases after the second are arranged in the order of the examination request deadline date in the basic information table 50). Change).

  On the other hand, it is assumed that, for example, the user selects “right maintenance necessity” indicated by a symbol T on the screen of FIG. In this case, in response to the selection, the workflow management unit 42 displays a list of information on each item included in the summary workflow as illustrated in FIG. 18 (see symbol U). In addition, the workflow management unit 42 displays a list of information on items (related item information) that have the same reference number as each item included in the summary workflow and are not included in the summary workflow (FIG. 5). 18 reference V). Related projects mean divisional applications and foreign applications. Here, the display order of each case indicated by the symbol U shall be determined according to the rules (1) and (2) described above (however, in (2), the second and subsequent cases will have a due date of payment. Sort in ascending order). On the other hand, the display order of each item indicated by the symbol V is determined according to a different rule from the item indicated by the symbol U. For example, the items indicated by the symbol U are displayed in the display order according to the related item sort rule table as shown in FIG. The related item sort rule table in FIG. 19 is included in the table group 60 in FIG. 3 although not shown.

  In the related case sorting rule table of FIG. 19, the cases are sorted so that the country names (application countries) of the basic information table 50 are in the order of predetermined priority. If the country names are the same, the registration dates are ascending. It is defined that each case is rearranged so that As in the present embodiment, display rules for workflow items and related items can be made different so that the items can be displayed in an order in which the items are easy to see and in an order in which the user can easily examine necessity.

  In addition, even when the user selects the workflow of the single case on the ToDo screen of FIGS. 13 and 14 and selects “right maintenance necessity” on the same screen as FIG. 15, the case of the case related to the selected single case The information is displayed in a list.

(Group summary, separation, reorganization processing by case information management server 10)
Next, group summarization, separation, and reorganization processing by the case information management server 10 will be described in detail with reference to other drawings as appropriate along the flowchart of FIG. This process is a process to add other matters to the automatically organized workflow, to separate some matters from the automatically organized workflow, or to reorganize multiple organized workflows. is there. As a premise of the processing in FIG. 20, it is assumed that a ToDo screen as shown in FIG. 21 is displayed on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70.

  In the process of FIG. 20, first, in steps S60 and S62, the workflow management unit 42 presses the flow summary button (reference P in FIG. 21) or the flow reorganization button (reference Q in FIG. 21) in the ToDo screen. Wait until When the workflow management unit 42 receives information that the user has pressed the flow summary button, the determination in step S60 is affirmed, and the process proceeds to step S64.

  In step S64, the workflow management unit 42 determines whether only one summary workflow is selected. If the determination in step S64 is negative, the process proceeds to step S66. On the other hand, if the determination in step S64 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S74.

  Here, before the user presses the flow summary button, the user may select only one summary workflow, or may select multiple workflows including a summary workflow or a workflow for each case. And In the former case, the determination in step S64 is positive, and in the latter case, the determination in step S64 is negative.

  If the determination in step S64 is negative and the process proceeds to step S66 (when a plurality of workflows are selected), the workflow management unit 42 displays a flow summary screen (FIG. 22) on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70. The flow summary screen displays a list of information on all items included in the selected workflow.

  Next, in step S <b> 68, the workflow management unit 42 stands by until the user presses the “update” button (symbol W) in the flow summary screen. Note that the user selects an item to be included in the summary workflow on the flow summary screen, and then presses an “update” button.

  When the information that the “update” button has been pressed by the user is received, the process proceeds to step S70, and the workflow management unit 42 newly creates a summary workflow main table 52. The summary workflow main table 52 that originally existed is deleted.

  Next, in step S72, the workflow management unit 42 associates the summary workflow main table 52 with the individual case workflow main table 52. Specifically, the process instance ID of the newly created summary workflow main table 52 is stored in the “summary flow process instance ID” of the workflow main table 52 of each case newly selected by the user. Thereby, the workflow main table 52 of each newly selected item and the workflow main table 52 for summarization are associated with each other.

  When the process of step S72 ends, the entire process of FIG. 20 ends.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step S64 is affirmative (if one workflow is selected), the process proceeds to step S74, and the workflow management unit 42 displays the flow summary screen (FIG. 22) on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70. indicate. The flow summary screen displayed in step S74 displays a list of information on all the cases included in the selected summary workflow.

  Next, in step S76, the workflow management unit 42 stands by until the user presses the “update” button (reference numeral W) in the flow summary screen. Note that the user selects an item to be included in the summary workflow on the flow summary screen, and then presses an “update” button.

  When the “update” button is pressed by the user, the process proceeds to step S78, and the workflow management unit 42 newly creates a summary workflow main table 52. The summary workflow main table 52 that originally existed is deleted.

  In step S80, the workflow management unit 42 associates the summary workflow main table 52 with the individual case workflow main table 52. Specifically, the process instance ID of the newly created summary workflow main table 52 is stored in the “summary flow process instance ID” of the workflow main table 52 of each case newly selected by the user. Thereby, the workflow main table 52 of each newly selected item and the workflow main table 52 for summarization are associated with each other. On the other hand, a case that is not selected by the user becomes a workflow of an individual case.

  When the process of step S80 ends, the entire process of FIG. 20 ends.

  If the determination in step S62 is affirmative (if the flow reorganization button is pressed), the process proceeds to step S82, and the workflow management unit 42 displays the flow reorganization screen (FIG. 23) on the display unit 193 of the client terminal 70. To do. Note that the flow summary screen displayed in step S82 includes information on all the items included in the selected workflow (n summary workflows, m individual workflows, where n and m are integers greater than or equal to 0). Will be listed.

  Next, in step S84, the workflow management unit 42 stands by until the user presses the “update” button (symbol X) in the flow reorganization screen. Note that the user presses an “update” button after selecting a matter to be included in a new summary workflow on the flow reorganization screen.

  When the “update” button is pressed by the user, the process proceeds to step S86, and the workflow management unit 42 newly creates a summary workflow main table 52. Note that the summary workflow main table 52 that originally existed is left as it is.

  In step S88, the workflow management unit 42 associates the newly created summary workflow main table 52 with the selected individual case workflow main table 52. Specifically, the process instance ID of the newly created summary workflow main table 52 is stored in the “summary flow process instance ID” of the workflow main table 52 of each case newly selected by the user. As a result, the workflow main table 52 of each newly selected item and the new workflow main table 52 for summarization are associated with each other.

  Next, in step S90, the workflow management unit 42 associates the original summary workflow main table 52 with the workflow main table 52 of the individual item that has not been selected. Specifically, the process instance ID of the original workflow main table 52 for summarization is stored in the “summary flow process instance ID” of the workflow main table 52 of each item not selected by the user. Thereby, the workflow main table 52 of each item that has not been selected is associated with the original workflow main table 52 for summarization.

  In step S90, the case has been described in which the original summary workflow main table 52 is associated with the unselected individual case workflow main table 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the individual item workflows that are not selected may be handled as a single item workflow without being grouped.

  When the process of step S90 ends, the entire process of FIG. 20 ends.

  As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 accepts designation of a plurality of cases by inputting search conditions (S10, S12), and instructs whether to create necessity investigation data for a plurality of cases. Upon receiving (pressing the necessity investigation data creation button) (S18: Yes), a plurality of cases are grouped based on the grouping rules stored in the property table 58 (S24), and a summary for a plurality of cases is collected. The workflow is forwarded (S42). In this way, related matters are automatically summarized based on grouping rules, and a summary workflow for related matters is forwarded at once, so a summary workflow is easily created and forwarded. be able to. Thereby, the usability of the user who forwards the workflow can be improved. In addition, since the user of the forwarding destination can perform processing on related matters collectively, it is possible to improve work efficiency and usability at the forwarding destination.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 receives designation of a plurality of cases (S10, S12), and receives a necessity investigation data creation instruction (pressing a necessity investigation data creation button) (S18: affirmative). Then, a plurality of cases are grouped, and designation of one common forwarding destination is accepted as the forwarding destination of the workflows of all the grouped cases (FIG. 11), and the summary workflow is forwarded to the forwarding destination (S42). . As a result, in the present embodiment, it is possible to easily forward the workflow of the related matter to the forwarding destination user. In addition, since the user of the forwarding destination can perform processing for related matters collectively, it is possible to improve work efficiency and usability.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the workflow management unit 42 receives a forwarding instruction for a workflow of an individual case or a forwarding instruction for a summary workflow for a forwarding destination user (S38: Yes), a workflow status display screen (ToDo) On the screen: FIG. 13 and FIG. 14), the workflow of individual cases and the workflow for summarization are displayed so as to be identifiable by the presence or absence of a summarization icon. Thereby, in this embodiment, it can be made easy to recognize which workflow is the workflow of the individual case and which workflow is the workflow for the summary.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the workflow management unit 42 receives a forwarding instruction for a summary workflow to a forwarding destination user, the workflow management unit 42 summarizes the summary workflow as a legal deadline date or a reply deadline date on the ToDo screen. Displays the earliest date of the legal due date or reply due date for each case. As a result, even if a large number of dates are not displayed in the workflow for summarization, it is possible to display an appropriate date on the ToDo screen to prevent overdue procedure deadlines and processing deadlines.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 selects a workflow for individual cases and a workflow for summarization on the ToDo screen (FIG. 21), and presses the “flow summarization” button (S60: Yes). A flow summary screen (FIG. 22) is displayed. When the workflow management unit 42 receives an instruction to generate a group including individual cases and a plurality of cases (S64: negative, S68: positive), it creates a new summary workflow (S70, S72). Thereby, the user can rework the summary workflow automatically generated based on the property table 58.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 displays a flow summary screen (FIG. 22) when one summary workflow is selected on the ToDo screen (FIG. 21) and the “flow summary” button is pressed. To do. When the workflow management unit 42 receives an instruction to exclude one or more cases from the group among the plurality of cases included in the selected summary workflow (S76: Yes), A new group is generated for the remaining cases (S78, S80). As a result, in the present embodiment, the user can rework the summary workflow automatically generated based on the property table 58 (exclude a part from the summary workflow).

  In this embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 selects a plurality of workflows for summarization on the ToDo screen (FIG. 21) and presses the “flow reorganization” button (S62: affirmative), the flow reorganization screen (FIG. 23). ) Is displayed. Then, the workflow management unit 42 causes a case designated as a target to belong to a new group among matters included in a plurality of workflows for summarization to belong to a new group. (S88, S90). Thus, the user can rework the summary workflow automatically generated based on the property table 58 (reorganize a plurality of summary workflows).

  In the present embodiment, the workflow management unit 42 displays a summary workflow on the ToDo screen (FIGS. 13 and 14). Then, the workflow management unit 42 performs a list display that enables individual input for the workflows of a plurality of cases on the workflow main screen (FIGS. 16 and 17) in accordance with the designation of the summary workflow. Thereby, in this embodiment, it can make it easy to input with respect to a plurality of related matters.

  In this embodiment, when the workflow management unit 42 displays a summary workflow, the workflow management unit 42 is a matter that is not included in the summary workflow and is related to a plurality of issues included in the summary workflow. Is displayed (FIG. 18). Accordingly, the user can refer to related item information when considering necessity of the summary workflow.

  In this embodiment, the rule for determining the display order of related items is different from the rule for determining the display order of a plurality of items included in the summary workflow. As a result, it is possible to display related cases and a plurality of cases in an appropriate order (e.g., an order in which browsing is easy or an order in which necessity is easily examined).

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the case where the information on the related matters is displayed on the screen that displays whether or not the right maintenance is necessary has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information on related matters may be displayed on a screen that displays the necessity of examination request.

  Note that the screen examples and flowcharts in the above embodiment are examples. That is, the processing content may be changed as appropriate in accordance with the change of the screen example.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the workflow system 100 performs processing related to creation and forwarding of a work flow relating to intellectual property, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the workflow system 100 may perform processing related to creation and forwarding of workflows other than matters related to intellectual property in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the processing apparatus should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (except for a carrier wave).

  When the program is distributed, for example, it is sold in the form of a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the following additional remarks are disclosed regarding description of the above embodiment.
(Supplementary note 1) Accepting the specification of multiple projects corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. To
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Appendix 2) Accepting multiple case specifications corresponding to the process to be forwarded in the workflow,
In response to a predetermined instruction for the plurality of cases, the plurality of cases belong to a common group,
As a forwarding destination for workflows of all cases included in the group, accepting a common forwarding destination designation,
The workflow is forwarded to the common forwarding destination in units of the group.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Supplementary Note 3) Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the individual matter workflow and the group unit workflow including the plurality of matters are displayed in an identifiable manner.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Appendix 4) Accepting a group-specific workflow forwarding instruction that includes multiple projects for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the earliest time limit of the predetermined type of the plurality of cases is set as a predetermined type of time limit representing the group including the plurality of cases. Display,
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Supplementary Note 5) The workflow processing program according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the workflow is a workflow corresponding to a matter related to intellectual property, and the predetermined type of deadline is a legal deadline.
(Appendix 6) Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case to a specific forwarding destination and / or a group-wise workflow forwarding instruction including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of the individual cases and the group including the plurality of cases,
Upon receiving a group generation instruction including at least a part of the selected individual case and the plurality of cases, a new group is generated.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Supplementary note 7) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow of a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of a group including the plurality of matters,
Accepting an instruction to exclude one or more cases from the group for the selected group including the plurality of cases,
A new group is generated for the remaining cases among the selected cases.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Appendix 8) Receiving instructions for group-specific workflows that include multiple projects for a specific forwarding destination for multiple groups,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display the plurality of groups,
Accepting a reorganization instruction of a group that designates the plurality of groups;
Of the cases included in the plurality of groups, the group of cases designated as belonging to a new group belongs to a new group, and among the plurality of groups, it was not designated as the subject to belong to the new group Opportunities must belong to the original group or be individual
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Supplementary note 9) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display a group including the plurality of matters,
In response to the designation of the group, display a screen that can be individually input regarding processing for the plurality of matters included in the group.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.
(Additional remark 10) It is a matter which does not belong to the above-mentioned group, Comprising: The information about other cases where predetermined association was made with any of the above-mentioned cases is displayed together with the screen separately from the plurality of cases.
The workflow processing program according to appendix 9, wherein the processing is executed by a computer.
(Supplementary note 11) The workflow processing program according to supplementary note 10, wherein when there are a plurality of other matters, the display order rule of the other matters is different from the display order rule of the plurality of matters. .
(Supplementary note 12) Accepting the designation of multiple cases corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. To
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary note 13) Accepting the designation of multiple cases corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
In response to a predetermined instruction for the plurality of cases, the plurality of cases belong to a common group,
As a forwarding destination for workflows of all cases included in the group, accepting a common forwarding destination designation,
The workflow is forwarded to the common forwarding destination in units of the group.
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary Note 14) Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group unit including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the individual matter workflow and the group unit workflow including the plurality of matters are displayed in an identifiable manner.
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary note 15) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the earliest time limit of the predetermined type of the plurality of cases is set as a predetermined type of time limit representing the group including the plurality of cases. Display,
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary note 16) The workflow processing method according to supplementary note 15, wherein the workflow is a workflow corresponding to a matter relating to intellectual property, and the predetermined type of deadline is a legal deadline.
(Supplementary Note 17) Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group unit including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of the individual cases and the group including the plurality of cases,
Upon receiving a group generation instruction including at least a part of the selected individual case and the plurality of cases, a new group is generated.
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary note 18) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of a group including the plurality of matters,
Accepting an instruction to exclude one or more cases from the group for the selected group including the plurality of cases,
A new group is generated for the remaining cases among the selected cases.
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Supplementary note 19) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination for a plurality of groups,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display the plurality of groups,
Accepting a reorganization instruction of a group that designates the plurality of groups;
Of the cases included in the plurality of groups, the group of cases designated as belonging to a new group belongs to a new group, and among the plurality of groups, it was not designated as the subject to belong to the new group Opportunities must belong to the original group or be individual
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Appendix 20) Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display a group including the plurality of matters,
In response to the designation of the group, display a screen that can be individually input regarding processing for the plurality of matters included in the group.
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process.
(Additional remark 21) It is a matter which does not belong to the above-mentioned group, Comprising: The information about other cases where predetermined association was made with any of the above-mentioned cases is displayed together with the screen separately from the plurality of cases.
The workflow processing method according to appendix 20, wherein the processing is executed by a computer.
(Supplementary note 22) The workflow processing method according to supplementary note 21, wherein when there are a plurality of other cases, the display order rule of the other cases is different from the display order rule of the plurality of cases. .
(Supplementary Note 23) A reception unit that receives designation of a plurality of matters corresponding to processing to be forwarded in a workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. A processing unit to
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Supplementary Note 24) A reception unit that receives designation of a plurality of matters corresponding to processing to be forwarded in a workflow,
In accordance with a predetermined instruction for the plurality of cases, a processing unit that causes the plurality of cases to belong to a common group;
An execution unit that executes workflow forwarding in units of the group to one common forwarding destination when a common forwarding destination designation is accepted as a workflow forwarding destination for all cases included in the group; ,
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Supplementary Note 25) A reception unit that receives a workflow forwarding instruction for an individual case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination;
On the display screen of the status of the workflow corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, a display control unit that displays the workflow of the individual case and the group unit workflow including the plurality of cases in an identifiable manner,
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Supplementary Note 26) A reception unit that receives a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination;
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the earliest time limit of the predetermined type of the plurality of cases is set as a predetermined type of time limit representing the group including the plurality of cases. A display control unit to display;
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Supplementary note 27) The workflow processing apparatus according to supplementary note 26, wherein the workflow is a workflow corresponding to a matter relating to intellectual property, and the predetermined type of deadline is a legal deadline.
(Supplementary Note 28) A reception unit that receives a workflow forwarding instruction for an individual item for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group including a plurality of items for the specific forwarding destination;
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, selection of the individual case and the group including the plurality of cases is accepted, and at least one of the selected individual case and the plurality of cases is received. A generation unit that generates a new group when receiving a generation instruction of a group including a part,
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Supplementary Note 29) A reception unit that receives a forwarding instruction for a workflow in group units including a plurality of cases for a specific forwarding destination;
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, selection of a group including the plurality of cases is accepted, and one or more of the plurality of cases is selected for the selected group including the plurality of cases. When receiving an instruction to exclude a case from the group, a generation unit that generates a new group for the remaining cases among the selected cases,
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Additional remark 30) The reception part which receives the forwarding instruction of the workflow of the group unit containing the some case with respect to a specific forwarding destination about several groups,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, a display control unit for displaying the plurality of groups,
When receiving a reorganization instruction for a group that designates the plurality of groups, among the cases included in the plurality of groups, the case group designated as a target to be included in the new group belongs to a new group, , A case that is not designated as a target belonging to the new group, a processing unit that belongs to the original group or is an individual case,
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Additional remark 31) The reception part which receives the forwarding instruction | indication of the workflow of the group unit containing the several case with respect to a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, a group including the plurality of cases is displayed, and input regarding processing is individually performed for the plurality of cases included in the group according to the designation of the group A display control unit that displays a screen capable of
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:
(Additional remark 32) The said display control part is the item which does not belong to the said group, Comprising: The information regarding the other item by which predetermined | prescribed correlation was made | formed with any one of the said some item was put together on the said screen separately from the said some item. To display,
The workflow processing apparatus according to attachment 31, wherein the processing is executed by a computer.
(Additional remark 33) The said display control part makes the display order rule of the said other case different from the display order rule of the said multiple cases, when there are two or more other said cases. 33. A workflow processing apparatus according to 32.

10 Matter information management server (workflow processing device)
42 Workflow management unit (reception unit, processing unit, execution unit, display control unit, generation unit)
58 Property Table (Storage)

Claims (13)

Accepts the designation of multiple matters corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. To
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Accepts the designation of multiple matters corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
In response to a predetermined instruction for the plurality of cases, the plurality of cases belong to a common group,
As a forwarding destination for workflows of all cases included in the group, accepting a common forwarding destination designation,
The workflow is forwarded to the common forwarding destination in units of the group.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group unit including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the individual matter workflow and the group unit workflow including the plurality of matters are displayed in an identifiable manner.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit that includes multiple projects for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, the earliest time limit of the predetermined type of the plurality of cases is set as a predetermined type of time limit representing the group including the plurality of cases. Display,
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.   The workflow processing program according to claim 4, wherein the workflow is a workflow corresponding to a matter relating to intellectual property, and the predetermined type of time limit is a legal time limit. Accepting a workflow forwarding instruction for a specific case for a specific forwarding destination and / or a workflow forwarding instruction for a group unit including a plurality of cases for the specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of the individual cases and the group including the plurality of cases,
Upon receiving a group generation instruction including at least a part of the selected individual case and the plurality of cases, a new group is generated.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit that includes multiple projects for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, accepting selection of a group including the plurality of matters,
Accepting an instruction to exclude one or more cases from the group for the selected group including the plurality of cases,
A new group is generated for the remaining cases among the selected cases.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Receiving instructions for multiple group workflows that include multiple cases for a specific forwarding destination for multiple groups,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display the plurality of groups,
Accepting a reorganization instruction of a group that designates the plurality of groups;
Of the cases included in the plurality of groups, the group of cases designated as belonging to a new group belongs to a new group, and among the plurality of groups, it was not designated as the subject to belong to the new group Opportunities must belong to the original group or be individual
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. Accepting a forwarding instruction for a workflow in a group unit that includes multiple projects for a specific forwarding destination,
In the workflow status display screen corresponding to the specific forwarding destination, display a group including the plurality of matters,
In response to the designation of the group, display a screen that can be individually input regarding processing for the plurality of matters included in the group.
A workflow processing program that causes a computer to execute processing. A matter that does not belong to the group, and displays information related to another matter that is associated with one of the plurality of matters together with the screen separately from the plurality of matters,
The workflow processing program according to claim 9, wherein the processing is executed by a computer.   The workflow processing program according to claim 10, wherein when there are a plurality of the other matters, a display order rule for the other matters is different from a display order rule for the plurality of matters. Accepts the designation of multiple matters corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. To
A workflow processing method characterized in that a computer executes a process. A reception unit that accepts specification of multiple cases corresponding to the processing to be forwarded in the workflow,
When a predetermined instruction is received for the plurality of cases, workflows in groups are allowed for cases belonging to each group obtained by grouping the plurality of cases based on a grouping rule stored in the storage unit. A processing unit to
A workflow processing apparatus comprising:

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