JP2023161355A - Transaction management device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a transaction management device that manages documents exchanged between business operators and transactions of data associated with the documents.SOLUTION: A service provision company WA provides a service for relaying documents exchanged between companies. An order reception-side company JK, when transmitting a first document B1 to an ordering-side company HK, can transmit the first document B1 together with first data D1 associated with the first document B1 (sequence S1). The first data D1 is transmitted together with the first document B1 when, for example, the first document B1 is browsed (sequence S2). When the ordering-side company HK performs an operation to update the first data D1, update data D1u for the first data D1 is transmitted (sequence S3). The update data D1u is transmitted to the order reception-side company JK via the service provision company WA (sequence S4).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a transaction management device and a program.

There are various document categories for documents handled in a facility depending on the type of industry and business type of the facility, and even documents in the same document category usually have different itemization depending on the facility. In order to manage documents of facilities with different industries and types of businesses, a system is known that includes a common document management means, a document category definition means for each facility, an item definition means for each document category, and a document processing means for each facility ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2013-65216A

Since the above-mentioned system manages documents, it is also possible to share documents between different facilities (business operators). However, it does not support proceeding with transactions by associating predetermined data with shared documents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a transaction management device that manages documents exchanged between businesses as well as transactions of data associated with the documents.

A transaction management device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is assumed to be a transaction management device that manages transactions related to a predetermined document. document receiving means that receives designation of a first document and first data to be associated with the first document; and a receiving device that associates the first document and the first data and receives the first document. a document transmitting means for transmitting the first data to the receiving terminal; a reply receiving means for receiving a request for updating the first data from the receiving terminal; and a reply receiving means for transmitting the first data updated by the update request to the transmitting terminal. and a reply sending means for sending the reply.

According to the present invention, it is possible to manage documents exchanged between businesses as well as transactions of data associated with the documents.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of a service provided by applying the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of documents exchanged between companies. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment connected to an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration implemented on an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of related data associated with a document and an example of a method for updating the contents of the related data. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating means implemented on an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of overall processing executed by a CPU installed in an AP server, which is a transaction management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the construction of a system that enables document exchange between companies.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. The technical scope of the present invention also includes various modifications.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overview of services provided by applying the present invention.
This service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") is provided to customers by service provider WA. The customers are mainly businesses. This service includes a function that relays document exchange between business operators, and through this relay, provides an environment that can reduce the burden of document exchange on each business operator. The document to be exchanged is a predetermined document.

In FIG. 1, it is shown that the service provider WA itself relays various data. However, the relay may be performed by another company or a cloud service. Two businesses are shown: an ordering company JK, which is a company that receives orders for products, and an ordering company HK, which is a company that orders products. In accordance with this, the term "company" will hereinafter be used to refer to a business operator, unless otherwise specified.

The expressions ``order receiving side'' and ``ordering side'' focus on the products sold by the order receiving company JK. In reality, for example, the ordering company JK is often the ordering company that purchases another product. Here, to avoid confusion, we will assume only these two companies, JK and HK, as specific businesses. Note that the business operator may be another organization or corporation, or may be an individual. For this reason, the business operators are not particularly limited. Similarly, the document exchange between the two companies JK and HK may be for transactions other than purchasing products.

When an ordering company HK purchases a product from an ordering company JK, various documents are usually exchanged between them. For this reason, FIG. 1 shows how multiple documents are exchanged. The first document B1 is, for example, a document sent from the ordering company JK to the ordering company HK for a transaction to purchase a product.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of documents exchanged between companies. FIG. 2(a) shows an example of a quotation/order form, and FIG. 2(b) shows an example of a delivery note/acceptance statement.
A quotation/order form is a document created at the request of a company wishing to purchase a product. In the example shown in FIG. 1, at the request of the ordering company HK, the ordering company JK creates it and sends it to the ordering company HK.

A delivery note and acceptance statement is a document created for the delivery of a product to a company that has ordered the product. Therefore, after the ordering company HK places an order, the ordering company JK creates it and sends it to the ordering company HK.

The ordering company HK receives the quotation and order form, examines its contents, and places an order if the contents are desirable or acceptable. When the ordering company HK places an order in this way, the delivery note/acceptance statement is created by the ordering company JK. For this reason, the delivery note/acceptance statement is usually used and created after the quotation/order form is sent, and as shown in Figure 2, their contents are the same or almost the same. The reality is that this is often the case.

The ordering company HK, which intends to place an order, must convey its intention to the ordering company JK. This means that when a quotation/order form is sent, data is generated that must be shared between the receiving party who received the quotation/order form and the transmitting party who caused it to be sent. For this reason, this service provides an environment where data that should be shared can be shared, reducing the burden on both parties in communicating their intentions. This improves convenience for both parties and supports more efficient and speedy processing.

FIG. 1 shows a first document B1 and a second document B2 as documents exchanged between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK. These documents B1 and B2 are not particularly limited. However, for ease of understanding, the following explanation will be based on the assumption that the first document B1 is a quotation/order form, and the second document B2 is a delivery note/acceptance statement.

As mentioned above, the order-receiving company JK creates a quotation/order form at the request of the ordering company HK. The first data D1 is transmitted together with the first document B1 to the service provider WA in order to be sent to the company HK (sequence S1).

This first data D1 is data that is associated with the first document B1 and is assumed to be transmitted and received between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK. If the first document B1 is a quotation and order form, the first data D1 is, for example, data for the ordering company HK to express its intention to the ordering company JK as to whether or not to place an order. It is. In this service, when sending a document to the service provider WA, the company sending the document can specify such data to be associated, and the specified data is presented to the destination company along with the document. That's what I do. Both the first document B1 and the first data D1 received by the service provider WA are stored in the storage device KS.

The first document B1 stored in the storage device KS is transmitted from the service provider WA to the ordering company HK together with the first data D1, for example, at the request of the ordering company HK (sequence S2). As a result, the employee of the ordering company HK can confirm the first data D1 as well as the first document B1.

The first data D1 is data to be transmitted from the ordering company HK to the ordering company JK. From this, it is conceivable that the first data D1 is presented in the form of an object to be operated, for example, a button, on a screen on which the contents of the first document B1 are arranged. Here, since it is sufficient to confirm the intention to place an order, for example, an "order" button may be placed on the screen (FIG. 6). When the employee operates, for example clicks, this "order" button, the information set on the button is transmitted to the service provider WA (sequence S3). In FIG. 1, when the "order" button is operated, the updated data D1u, which is the first data D1 whose contents have been updated, is sent from the ordering company HK to the service provider WA. represents. Note that the information sent to the service provider WA may be information indicating that the "order" button has been operated, an update request requesting update of the first data D1, or the like. For this reason, it is not necessary to transmit the update data D1u itself.

The update data D1u received by the service provider WA is stored, for example, in the storage device KS. This update data D1u is transmitted to the order-receiving company JK, for example, in response to a request from the order-receiving company JK (sequence S4). Thereby, the ordering company JK can know that the ordering company HK has placed an order. Therefore, the order-receiving company JK can perform work to deliver the ordered product to the ordering company HK.

The update data D1u may be transmitted by simply arranging its contents on the screen, but it may also be transmitted by arranging its contents on the screen together with the first document B1. If the storage location of the first document B1 and the first data D1 at the ordering company JK is determined in advance, the first data D1 is automatically rewritten to the updated data D1u. Also good. For this reason, various modes can be considered for transmitting the update data D1u to the order-receiving company JK. This also applies to the update data D2u of the second data D2.

In this way, by operating the "Order" button, the ordering company HK can more easily and quickly communicate its intention to order to the ordering company JK, and the ordering company JK can then process the order. The intention of the person can be easily confirmed. Therefore, the ordering company HK and the ordering company JK can obtain high convenience and achieve higher work efficiency.

After confirming the intention to place the order, the ordering company JK prepares the products to be delivered and performs the delivery. On the other hand, create a delivery note and acceptance inspection report. The created delivery note/acceptance statement is sent to the service provider WA as a second document B2 together with the designated second data D2 (sequence S5). The second document B2 received by the service provider WA is stored in the storage device KS together with the second data D2, similar to the first document B1.

The second data D2 is data that is associated with the second document B2 and is assumed to be transmitted and received between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK. The ordering company HK, where the products are delivered, refers to the delivery note and acceptance inspection document and performs an acceptance inspection to confirm whether all of the ordered products have actually been delivered. For this reason, the second data D2 associated with the delivery note/acceptance inspection document is, for example, data indicating whether or not the delivery of all products has been confirmed as a result of the acceptance inspection work, that is, the delivery of all products has been confirmed. It is conceivable that the ordering company HK should use data to convey this information to the ordering company JK. Such second data D2 is transmitted to the ordering company HK together with the second document B2, for example, in response to a request from the ordering company HK (sequence S6). The second data D2 is arranged, for example, in the form of a "confirm" button on the screen on which the contents of the second document B2 are arranged.

Employees of the ordering company HK perform acceptance inspection work, and when they are able to confirm that all products have been delivered, they operate the "Confirm" button. As a result, the ordering company HK transmits the information determined by the "Confirm" button to the service provider WA (sequence S7). In FIG. 1, the information indicates that updated data D2u, which is second data D2 whose contents have been updated, is transmitted from the ordering company HK to the service providing company WA. Note that the information sent to the service provider WA may be information indicating that a "confirm" button has been operated, an update request requesting an update of the second data D2, or the like.

The update data D2u received by the service provider WA is stored in the storage device KS. The update data D2u stored in the storage device KS is transmitted to the order-receiving company JK, for example, in response to a request from the order-receiving company JK (sequence S8). Thereby, the ordering company JK can know that the ordering company HK has confirmed the delivery of all products. Therefore, the ordering company JK will be able to request payment for the delivered products from the ordering company HK. Thereafter, creation and transmission of an invoice by the ordering company JK, confirmation of the contents of the sent invoice by the ordering company HK, etc. can be performed in the same manner, but detailed explanation will be omitted.

The period from when the order-receiving company JK transmits the first document B1 and the first data D1 until the order-receiving company JK receives the updated data D1u is regarded as one transaction. The first data D1 is managed together with the first document B1, and the transaction proceeds. Similarly, the period from when the order-receiving company JK transmits the second document B2 and the second data D2 to when the order-receiving company JK receives the updated data D2u is regarded as one transaction. The second data D2 is managed together with the second document B2, and the transaction proceeds.

When focusing on the relationship between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK, as the ordering company JK sends the first document B1 and the first data D1, the second document B2 and the second data are transmitted. D2 will be transmitted. Therefore, these two transactions and the subsequent transactions are also positioned as part of one transaction.

The first data D1 and the second data D2 will be collectively referred to as "related data" hereinafter. The first document B1 and the second document B2 with which related data are associated will hereinafter be collectively referred to as "document B" with the suffix "B" to distinguish them from other documents.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9, a specific method for providing this service, the outline of which is illustrated in FIG. 1, will be explained in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment to which an AP (application) server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention is connected.

The AP server 1 is an information processing device installed within the service providing company WA to provide this service. In addition to the AP server 1, a Web server, a DB (Data Base) server, etc. are also normally installed, but for the sake of explanation here, the service provider WA has one server for providing this service. It is assumed that only AP server 1 is installed.

AP server 1 is connected to network N. This network N is a collection of multiple networks including, for example, the Internet. Examples of networks other than the Internet include a mobile phone network and a LAN (Local Area Network).
As shown in FIG. 3, one or more transmitting terminals 5 used by employees of the order receiving company JK can be connected to this network N. Similarly, one or more receiving terminals 6 used by employees of the ordering company HK can be connected. Thereby, the AP server 1 provides this service through communication with the sending terminals 5 and 6 via the network N. Therefore, both the first document B1 and the second document B2 are electronic data, and this service realizes document exchange using Web-EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). Note that the form of document exchange is not particularly limited, and document exchange may be simply performed via network N.

The transmitting side terminal 5 and the receiving side terminal 6 are expressions focusing on the document exchange performed between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK. In many cases, documents exchanged between the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK are transmitted from the sending terminal 5. Note that, as described above, the AP server 1 may not be installed in the service providing company WA.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. Next, with reference to FIG. 4, an example of the hardware configuration of the AP server 1 will be specifically described. Note that this configuration example is just an example, and the hardware configuration of the AP server 1 is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 4, the AP server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input/output interface 15, and an output It includes a section 16, an input section 17, a storage section 18, a communication section 19, and a drive 20.

The CPU 11 executes, for example, a program recorded in the ROM 12 and/or a program loaded into the RAM 13 from the storage unit 18 to realize various processes. The programs loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13 include, for example, an OS (Operating System) and various application programs that run on the OS. The various application programs include one or more programs developed for providing this service.

The RAM 13 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes. The data also includes various programs executed by the CPU 11. Various programs are read into the RAM 13 and executed by the CPU 11.

The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input/output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14 . An output section 16 , an input section 17 , a storage section 18 , a communication section 19 , and a drive 21 are connected to the input/output interface 15 .

The output unit 16 has a configuration including, for example, a display such as a liquid crystal display. The output unit 16 displays various images or various screens under the control of the CPU 11. The output unit 16 may be installed in the AP server 1, or may be connected as necessary. Therefore, the output unit 16 is not an essential component.

The input unit 17 includes various hardware buttons such as a keyboard. The configuration may include one or more pointing devices, such as a mouse. An operator (mainly a system administrator) can input various information via the input unit 17. This input unit 17 may also be installed in the AP server 1, or may be connected as necessary. Therefore, the input section 17 is also not an essential component.

The storage unit 18 is, for example, a hard disk device or an auxiliary storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive). Data with a large amount of data is stored in this storage section 18.
The communication unit 19 enables communication with other information processing devices via the network N. Both the transmitting side terminal 5 and the receiving side terminal 6 shown in FIG. 3 are other information processing devices.

Both the sending terminal 5 and the receiving terminal 6 are terminals used by authenticated, ie, logged-in employees. From now on, a terminal used by a logged-in employee but for which either the sending terminal 5 or the receiving terminal 6 cannot be identified is called a "login terminal," and a terminal used by an employee who is not logged in is called a "non-login terminal." ” respectively. Unless otherwise specified, the term "terminal" is used to refer to a terminal that cannot be specified as one of these types.

The drive 20 is a device into which a removable medium 25 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory card can be attached and detached. The drive 20 is capable of reading information from and writing information to the removable medium 25 mounted thereon, for example. Thereby, the program recorded on the removable medium 25 can be stored in the storage unit 18 via the drive 20. Furthermore, the removable medium 25 attached to the drive 20 can be used as a copy destination or a movement destination of various data stored in the storage unit 18.

Application programs developed for this service may be recorded on the removable media 25 and distributed. It may also be possible to distribute it via network N or the like. For this reason, the recording medium on which the application program is recorded must be one that is installed or installed in an information processing device that is directly or indirectly connected to the network N, or one that is installed in an externally accessible device. , or may be attached.

The hardware resources included in the AP server 1 are controlled by various programs including application programs. As a result, the AP server 1 can provide this service to each employee of the ordering company JK and the ordering company HK.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration implemented on an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention. Next, an example of the functional configuration implemented on the AP server 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the functional configuration of the CPU 11 of the AP server 1 includes a customer registration section 111, an authentication section 112, a customer-specific related data setting section 113, a document reception section 114, a document management section 115, and related data. A processing unit 116, a request processing unit 117, and a screen generation unit 118 are implemented. The CPU 11 transmits and receives data to and from the transmitting terminal 5 and the receiving terminal 6 via the communication unit 19.

These are realized by the CPU 11 executing various programs including application programs developed for providing this service. As a result, in the storage unit 18, a customer information storage unit 181, a related data information storage unit 182, a document management information storage unit 183, and a document storage unit 184 are reserved for information storage. Thereby, the storage unit 18 corresponds to the storage device KS shown in FIG.

This service is provided to companies that have registered as customers. The customer registration unit 111 handles registration of customer information, which is information related to customers, and editing including deletion. A customer information storage section 181 secured in the storage section 18 is an area for storing customer information.

The customer information includes information on various items such as a customer ID (IDetifier), company ID, company name, location, e-mail address, and password. Here, it is assumed that authentication to confirm that the customer is a customer is performed using, for example, a customer ID and password.

Authentication unit 112 responds to authentication requests. This authentication request is a request sent from each of the sending terminal 5 and the receiving terminal 6, and includes a customer ID and a password. Thereby, the authentication unit 112 performs authentication by checking whether the customer information including the customer ID and password set included in the authentication request is stored in the customer information storage unit 181. The screen for authentication, the screen for registering customer information, or the screen for editing are all generated by the screen generation unit 120 and transmitted to the target terminal. Various requests including a screen transmission request are processed by the request processing unit 119, and the screen generation unit 120 generates a screen instructed by the request processing unit 119.

For non-logged-in terminals, the screens that can be sent are more limited than for logged-in terminals. Due to this restriction, employees using non-logged-in terminals are unable to use this service.
The customer-specific related data setting section 113 allows setting of related data for the document B to be transmitted by the customer, for each customer and document type. With this setting, related data information is generated and stored in the related data information storage section 182 secured in the storage section 18.

The related data information is information for automatically specifying the related data of document B. For this purpose, the related data information includes information on various items such as, for example, the customer ID of the company sending the document B, the type of document B, and the type of data associated with the document B. As a result, among documents sent from a company to which a customer ID has been assigned, documents to which related data information is applied include related data specified by the related data information, even if there is no designation of related data etc. It will be automatically added and presented to the destination company.

The document reception unit 114 receives document B, a document exchanged between companies, regardless of the type of document. The document accepted by the document reception unit 114 is, for example, one selected on a screen generated and transmitted by the screen generation unit 118. On the screen, in addition to specifying the related data, it is also possible to specify the deadline for updating the related data. These designation results are also sent to the AP server 1 together with the selected document. These designation results will be referred to as "designation information" hereinafter. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation and convenience, it is assumed that only document B is the document. The deadline for updating is written as "reply deadline." In order to be able to automatically set this reply deadline, it is desirable that the related data information includes information such as the period until the reply deadline.

The document accepted by the document reception unit 114 is passed to the document management unit 115 along with specification information. The document management section 115 stores the document in the document storage section 184 of the storage section 18 , generates document management information for managing the document, and stores it in the document management information storage section 183 of the storage section 18 .

The document management information includes, for example, the customer ID of the company that sent document B, the customer ID of the company to which document B is sent, the type of document B, the ID assigned to document B (hereinafter referred to as "document ID"), and the document It includes information on various items such as the storage location of B, presence or absence of related data, presence or absence of update of related data, content of related data, reception date and time, and reply deadline. Thereby, by referring to the document management information, document B containing related data can be exchanged between companies. Note that the destination company may be specified by the sender company, but it may also be made to recognize the contents of document B and automatically identify it. This is because the destination information exists in document B. The type of document B can be specified from the title and the like.

As described above, the related data is updated by operating a button provided on the screen on which the contents of the associated document B are arranged. When the button is operated, a request including information representing the operation on the button or information determined by the button is transmitted to the AP server 1. The related data processing unit 116 is a function for responding to the request. This request also includes, for example, a document ID so that the request can be met. Thereby, the related data processing unit 116 specifies the document management information in which the document ID is stored, and updates information on whether or not the related data in the specified document management information has been updated and the content of the related data. Hereinafter, this request will be referred to as a "related data processing request."

The related data processing unit 116 refers to the reply deadline information when updating the information on these items. This avoids updating after the reply deadline has passed. As a result, it becomes possible to specify document B for which the information on whether or not the related data has been updated does not indicate "Yes" even after the reply deadline has passed. The related data processing unit 116 also performs processing for identifying such document B and notifying the company that sent the document B of the document B for which the related data was not updated by the reply deadline.

The request processing unit 117 responds to various requests. The request processing unit 117 passes information necessary for screen generation to the screen generation unit 118 in response to the received request, and causes the screen generation unit 118 to generate the screen. Thereby, the screen generation unit 118 generates a screen according to the company that is the customer, for example, a screen showing a list of sent documents B, a screen showing a list of received documents B, a screen showing the contents of document B, etc. do. The generated screen is directly or indirectly output from the CPU 11 to the communication unit 19, and is transmitted to the login terminal as the transmission destination. Note that on the screen representing the list, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) representing the storage location of document B is embedded in each list. Thereby, the employee can view the document B associated with the desired list by operating the desired list.

The request processing unit 117 can cause the updated related data to be sent to the login terminal through a screen generated by the screen generation unit 118. If only the updated related data is to be transmitted, the request processing unit 117 may perform the transmission.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of related data associated with a document and an example of a method for updating the contents of the related data.
In the example shown in FIG. 6, document B is an estimate/order form, and the estimate/order form is associated with an order flag as related data. The initial value of the order flag is null, that is, there is no content. Such an order flag is sent from company A together with the quotation and order form, and is sent to company B via the AP server 1 (sequence S10).

A screen on which the contents of the quotation/order form and an "order" button BT are arranged is sent to Company B. By operating the "Order" button BT on the screen, it is assumed that an order has been placed based on the contents of the quotation and order form, and Company A is notified of this (sequence S11). The notification to that effect is performed by updating the value of the order flag from null to true or false. In addition to the "Order" button BT, a button for selecting not to place an order may be placed on the screen displayed to Company B so that the value can be updated to false. , the value may be automatically updated to false on the condition that the reply deadline has passed. The example shown in FIG. 6 represents a case where the latter is adopted.

Note that the related data including the order flag may be updated by inputting data into an input box instead of using a button. In that case, the number of products to be ordered may be changed for each product, and it may be possible to select whether or not to place an order for each product. For this reason, various modifications can be made to the method of updating related data. Since various renewal methods can be adopted, it is possible to deal with a wide range of contracts other than product purchase contracts. For example, in a lease contract, related data can be used to confirm not only whether to conclude the contract but also whether to renew the contract. It is also possible to accommodate partial changes to contract details. The same applies to temporary staffing contracts, etc. As is clear from these facts, it is possible to respond to a wide variety of contracts.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating means implemented on an AP server according to an embodiment of the transaction management device of the present invention.
On this AP server 1, as shown in FIG. Means 207 and subsequent reply sending means 208 are implemented. 18 is a storage unit 18, and this storage unit 18 is used to store documents B and related data labeled D.

In the functional configuration exemplified in FIG. 5, the document receiving unit 114 corresponds to both the document receiving unit 201 and the subsequent document receiving unit 205. The request processing unit 117 and the screen generation unit 118 correspond to both the document transmission unit 202 and the subsequent document transmission unit 206. The related data processing section 116 corresponds to both the reply reception means 203 and the subsequent reply reception means 207. The reply transmitting means 204 and the subsequent reply transmitting means 208 correspond to the request processing section 117 or the request processing section 117 and the screen generation section 118.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of overall processing executed by the CPU installed in the AP server, which is the transaction management device according to this embodiment.
This overall processing represents the flow of processing mainly executed by the AP server 1 to provide this service. This is realized by the CPU 11 executing an application program developed for providing this service. Next, this entire process will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. The CPU 11 is assumed to be the entity that executes the processing.

First, in step ST1, the CPU 11 determines whether a login request has been received. If this login request is received from an unlogged-in terminal, the determination in step ST1 is YES and the process moves to step ST2. If no login request has been received, the determination in step ST1 is NO and the process moves to step ST8.

In step ST2, the CPU 11 executes authentication processing using the customer ID and password included in the login request. In the following step ST3, the CPU 11 determines whether or not it has been confirmed that the company is registered as a customer as a result of executing the authentication process. If customer information containing a set of customer ID and password is present, it can be confirmed that the company is registered as a customer, and the determination in step ST3 is YES, and the process moves to step ST5. If such customer information does not exist, the determination in step ST3 is NO and the process moves to step ST4.

In step ST4, the CPU 11 generates, for example, a screen showing the authentication result, and transmits the generated screen to the unlogged-in terminal that received the login request. After that, the process returns to step ST1. When the process moves from step ST3 to step ST4, for example, a screen that allows confirmation that the login has failed is generated and sent.

On the other hand, in step ST5, the CPU 11 confirms notification matters for the company confirmed as the customer. In the next step ST6, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a notification item. If there is no notification item, the determination in step ST6 is NO and the process moves to step ST4, where the CPU 11 generates and transmits a screen that allows confirmation of successful login, for example. After that, the process returns to step ST1. Conversely, if there is a notification item, the determination in step ST6 is YES and the process moves to step ST7.

In checking the notification items in step ST5, the document management information stored in the document management information storage section 183 is referred to, and document management information whose related data has not been updated even though the reply deadline has passed is identified. be done. If such document management information is identified, it is determined that there is a notification item. As a result, information related to document B whose related data has not been updated is collected from the specified document management information. The collected information is placed on a screen that allows confirmation of successful login or on a separate screen, and employees of the company are notified of the existence of text B.

In step ST7, the CPU 11 collects information for notification of the notification item confirmed in step ST5, and adds the collected information as display information. In the next step ST4, the CPU 11 places the collected information on the login terminal confirmed to be used by an employee of the customer company, and stores document B whose related data has not been updated. Generate and send a screen to notify the presence. After that, the process returns to step ST1.

In step ST8, which is proceeded to when the determination in step ST1 is NO, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a page transmission request has been received. If a page transmission request is received, the determination in step ST8 is YES and the process moves to step ST9, where the CPU 11 causes the screen specified in the page transmission request to be transmitted to the terminal that received the page transmission request. After that, the process returns to step ST1. On the other hand, if the page transmission request is not received, the determination in step ST8 is NO and the process moves to step ST10.

This page transmission request requests transmission of a screen treated as a page. This page transmission request itself is transmitted not only from logged-in terminals but also from non-logged-in terminals. However, page transmission requests that can be sent from non-logged-in terminals are limited compared to logged-in terminals. For example, a page transmission request for a dynamic page such as a screen displaying a list of sent documents or a screen displaying a list of received documents cannot be transmitted from an unlogged-in terminal. Even if it is a static page, there are restrictions on what can be requested by a device that is not logged in. In this way, there is a clear difference in the pages that can be displayed between logged-in terminals and non-logged-in terminals.

In step ST10, the CPU 11 determines whether a customer registration request has been received. This customer registration request is a request sent from a login terminal for registering or updating customer information. Customer information to be registered or updated is entered, for example, on a screen for that purpose. For example, a "registration" button for instructing registration or update is arranged on the screen, and when the button is operated, a customer registration request including the input customer information is sent.

If a customer registration request is received, the determination in step ST10 is YES and the process moves to step ST11, where the CPU 11 executes customer registration processing to store the customer information included in the customer registration request in the customer information storage section 181. Execute. When registering new customer information, management information such as a customer ID may be automatically generated and added to the transmitted customer information. In the case of updating, customer information is stored in a form that overwrites existing customer information. After executing such customer registration processing, the process returns to step ST1.

If the customer registration request is not received, the determination in step ST10 is NO and the process moves to step ST12. In step ST12, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a document reception request has been received. This document acceptance request is for requesting acceptance of a document addressed to a company that is another customer. As described above, selection of a document to be accepted, designation of related data to be associated with the document, etc. are performed on the screen for this purpose. Document B is a document for which related data is specified on the screen, or a type of document to which related data is automatically associated based on related data information. The document selected on the screen and the specification information input on the screen are transmitted as document acceptance request information.

If the document acceptance request is received, the determination in step ST12 is YES and the process moves to step ST13. In step ST13, the CPU 11 stores the transmitted document in the document storage section 184, generates document management information, and stores it in the document management information storage section 183. After that, the process returns to step ST1.

When generating document management information, the specified information is referenced to confirm whether the document is document B or not. If it cannot be confirmed that the document is document B based on the specified information, the related data information stored in the related data information storage section 182 is further referred to to confirm whether the document is document B or not. Thereby, the document is distinguished depending on whether it is document B or not.

In step ST14, to which the process moves if the determination in step ST12 is NO, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a document transmission request has been received. If this document transmission request is received, the determination in step ST14 is YES and the process moves to step ST15. If this document transmission request is not received, the determination in step ST14 is NO and the process moves to step ST16.

This document transmission request is a request sent for viewing a document, and includes, for example, a URL or a document ID as information specifying the document. Therefore, in step ST15, the CPU 11 refers to this URL or the document management information including the document ID to confirm whether the target document is document B, and depending on the confirmation result, Generate and send the screen. As a result, when viewing document B, a screen is generated in which buttons for updating related data such as an "order" button, input boxes, etc. are arranged. After transmitting the screen, the process returns to step ST1.

In step ST16, the CPU 11 determines whether a related data processing request has been received. If the related data processing request is received, the determination in step ST16 is YES and the process moves to step ST17. If a related data processing request has not been received, the determination in step ST16 is NO and the process moves to step ST18.

In step ST17, the CPU 11 checks the repayment deadline information in the document management information specified from the related data processing request, and updates the content of the related data according to the confirmation result. The contents are updated only if the current date and time has not passed the reply deadline. If the current date and time has not passed the reply deadline, information on each item, such as whether or not the related data has been updated and the content of the related data, is updated. After confirming that the current date and time has passed the reply deadline or updating the information of those items in the document management information, the process returns to step ST1.

In step ST18, the CPU 11 executes other processing corresponding to requests other than those described above. Logoff, registration of related data information, etc. are realized by executing other processes. After executing this other processing, the process returns to step ST1.

By executing such overall processing, employees using the sending terminal 5 and the receiving terminal 6 can use this service. Further, the existence of document B whose related data has not been updated by the reply deadline will be notified to the company employee who should be notified of its existence at least at the time of login. The existence of this document B may be notified on one or more screens including a screen on which a list of sent documents is arranged. The reply deadline is information that affects the management of related data transactions, but the information is not limited to the reply deadline. It may be a viewing deadline for document B, a viewing (download) limit, a reply deadline based on the first viewing, or the like.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the construction of a system that enables document exchange between companies.
A system here is a function realized by one or more application programs. All of these are realized on any information processing device prepared by service provider WA. As shown in FIG. 9, these systems include systems 310 to 340, which can cooperate with each other. Companies A to D are all companies registered as customers.

System 310 is a customer interface system. Handles the sending of various documents. Documents can be sent by mail, by fax, by attaching them to e-mail, etc. The customer can select their preferred shipping method. It is possible to accept documents for sending such documents.

Furthermore, this system 310 is capable of data coordination with an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system or a business system physically constructed in a company. Therefore, the related data may be updated automatically through data coordination with these systems. Thereby, the destination of the related data does not have to be the login terminal, but may be the login terminal and the system (one information processing device forming the system) constructed by the company.

System 320 allows for the exchange of documents between businesses. Documents accepted from a company by system 310 can be sent by system 320 to another company for transmission. As a result, systems 310 and 320 are essential for exchanging documents between companies.

The system 330 provides various functions for cooperation with EDI using the network N or a document distribution system. Functions here include document layout conversion, character code conversion, data code conversion, and the like. A system 340 is interposed between the system 320 and the system 330 to enable use of such functions. This system 340 relays documents, various commands, etc. between the systems 320 and 330.

These systems 310 to 340 can be installed in one AP server 1. However, at least one of them may be installed in a different information processing device, and a plurality of information processing devices may be linked. Systems with relatively heavy loads may be installed in more information processing devices. For this reason, the functional configuration shown in FIG. 5 is just an example, and the functional configuration varies depending on the installed systems, how the systems are linked, and the like.

Note that in this embodiment, the specified information is input on the screen for selecting document B, but after sending document B, another screen such as a pop-up is displayed, and the specified information is input on the other screen. You may also let them do so. It may also be possible to input specified information for a sent document. The designation information may be input in advance using related data information. For this reason, the timing of inputting the designation information is not particularly limited. Any timing is sufficient as long as the side to which the document B is sent can recognize the related data associated with the document B.

On the other hand, the method of presenting related data is not particularly limited either. The reason why the related data is presented together with document B is because it is necessary to consider the contents of document B when updating the related data. The company (ordering company HK, etc.) may be made to perform an operation for updating related data on a screen different from the screen on which the contents of document B are arranged.

Document exchange is carried out in such a way that documents created by a company are sent as is to the destination company, but the exchanged documents undergo some processing such as layout conversion, character code conversion, data code conversion, etc. You may perform at least one of them. Depending on the destination company, the document may be sent in accordance with the communication protocol required by that company.

1 AP server, 5 sending terminal, 6 receiving terminal, 11 CPU, 18 storage section, 19 communication section, 111 customer registration section, 112 authentication section, 113 customer-specific related data setting section, 114 document reception section, 115 document management section, 116 related data processing section, 117 request processing section, 118 screen generation section, 181 customer information storage section, 182 related data information storage section, 183 document management information storage section, 184 document storage section, B1 first document, B2 Second document, D1 First data, D2 Second data, HK Ordering company, JK Ordering company, KS Storage device.

Claims (3)

A transaction management device that manages transactions regarding a predetermined document, the transaction management device comprising:
document receiving means for receiving designation of the first document and first data associated with the first document from a transmitting side terminal that transmits the first document that is the predetermined document;
document transmitting means for associating the first document and the first data and transmitting the first document to a receiving terminal on a receiving side;
reply receiving means for receiving a request for updating the first data from the receiving terminal;
a reply transmitting means for transmitting the first data updated by the update request to the transmitting terminal;
A transaction management device comprising: a subsequent document receiving unit that receives from the sending terminal a designation of a second document that is the predetermined document to be used following the first document and second data associated with the second document;
a subsequent document transmitting means for associating the second document and the second data and transmitting them to the receiving terminal;
Subsequent reply receiving means for receiving a request for updating the second data from the receiving terminal;
a subsequent reply transmitting means for transmitting the second data updated by the update request to the transmitting terminal;
The transaction management device according to claim 1, further comprising:. An information processing device used as a transaction management device that manages transactions related to a predetermined document,
receiving a designation of the first document and first data associated with the first document from a sending terminal that is sending the first document that is the predetermined document;
associating the first document and the first data and transmitting the first document to a receiving terminal on the receiving side;
receiving a request to update the first data from the receiving terminal;
causing the transmitting terminal to transmit the first data updated by the update request;
A program that executes processing.

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