JP2024079505A - Information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system capable of proposing a workflow app suitable for improving a user's business from among a plurality of workflow apps. [Solution] The present invention comprises an input screen including at least one input item of a first input item indicating an attribute or acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined processing to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or output method of a processing result of the predetermined processing, and a display control unit that displays an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes the processing corresponding to the input items, which is searched based on natural sentences entered in the input items. [Selected Figure] Figure 1A

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a workflow application that combines multiple components. Patent Document 2 discloses a search means for searching for workflows that match attributes selected by a user, and a technology for displaying the search results.

However, with the above technology, even if an app that is suitable for improving a user's work exists, it is not possible to suggest that app. In other words, in sales activities for apps, salespeople interview users based on the app they want to sell. As a result, even if there is an app among the many apps that is suitable for improving a user's work, that app cannot be suggested.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system that can suggest an app suitable for improving a user's work from among multiple apps.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention comprises a display control unit that displays an input screen including at least one input item of a first input item indicating an attribute or acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or output method of a processing result of the predetermined process, and an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes a process corresponding to the input items, which is searched based on natural language entered into the input items.

The present invention has the effect of being able to suggest apps suitable for improving a user's business operations from among multiple apps.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen displayed in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating an example of an output screen of a search result displayed on the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating an example of components included in a workflow application to be searched for in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of a PC or a server of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP, which is an example of a terminal device included in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow for searching for a workflow application from natural language in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a search process for a workflow application in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a search process for a workflow application in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4C is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a search process for a workflow application in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4D is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a search process for a workflow application in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen displayed in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow for searching for a workflow application from natural language in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining an example of a business task registered in advance in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of a database table stored in the task classification information storage unit of the information processing system according to the second embodiment.

Embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

(First embodiment)
Fig. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1A, the information processing system according to the present embodiment includes a terminal device 1 and a server 2. The terminal device 1 may be a multi-function peripheral (MFP), a personal computer (PC), or the like.

The terminal device 1 is an example of a device having a browser 11. The browser 11 is software used by a client that uses the information processing system.

The server 2 is an example of an information processing device that searches for a workflow application (hereinafter, referred to as a workflow app) based on the contents of an input from a user. Here, a workflow app is an application that combines components that execute each process and executes a series of processes as a workflow. Here, a component is a program that executes a process.

Here, examples of components include an IN component, a PROCESS component, and an OUT component. An IN component is a component that executes processes related to inputting, generating, and acquiring data. A PROCESS component is a component that executes predetermined processes such as data processing and conversion. An OUT component is a component that executes processes related to outputting and transmitting data.

The server 2 searches for a workflow application composed of related components based on the natural sentences entered in at least one of the three input items, the IN input item, the PROCESS input item, and the OUT input item. Here, the IN input item may be a document indicating the object and information to be input. That is, the IN input item is an example of a first input item, and is information on the processing target or information indicating a method for acquiring the processing target. Here, the processing target is an object or information to be processed in the user's business, and is an object to be processed by the user or the information processing system. In addition, the information on the processing target is, for example, information indicating the attributes of the processing target. The attributes of the processing target include information indicating the format of the processing target, such as whether the processing target is electronic data or a medium such as paper medium, and information regarding the content and format of the information contained in the processing target, and if the processing target is electronic data, includes the file format. In addition, if the processing target is data, the method for acquiring the processing target includes the name or identification information of the terminal or server that acquires the data, and a folder or account that is an example of a storage area of the terminal or server. In the following, acquiring the processing target may be expressed as input. For example, the work content to be written in the IN input item is, "Originals of drawings, instructions, etc. are kept on paper."

The PROCESS input item is an example of a second input item, and is information indicating a specified process to be executed on the processing target. For example, the PROCESS input item may be the addition of added value and data conversion. That is, when the processing target is data, the PROCESS input item indicates a specified process to be executed on the data (adding added value, data conversion, etc.). For example, the work content to be written in the PROCESS input item is "The data is converted to PDF using a scanner each time and renamed."

The OUT input item is an example of a third input item, and is information about the processing result of a specified process or information indicating the output method of the processing result through the PROCESS component. The processing result is an object or information after the specified process is executed on the processing target. In addition, the information about the processing result is, for example, information indicating the attributes of the processing result. The attributes of the processing result include information indicating the format of the processing result, such as whether the processing result is electronic data or a medium such as paper media, and information about the content and format of the information contained in the processing result, and if the processing result is electronic data, it includes the file format. In addition, the output method of the processing target includes, if the processing target is data, the name or identification information of the terminal or server that transmits the data, and a folder or account that is an example of the storage area of the terminal or server. For example, the OUT input item may be the delivered product and the end of the business. In other words, the OUT input item indicates the data on which the specified process has been executed. For example, the business content to be written in the OUT input item is "uploaded to a file server."

The server 2 can identify or narrow down workflow apps with high relevance by searching for workflow apps based on each input item. That is, the server 2 searches for workflow apps having related IN components based on the natural sentences input in the IN input items. The server 2 also searches for workflow apps having related PROCESS components based on the natural sentences input in the PROCESS input items. The server 2 also searches for workflow apps having related OUT components based on the natural sentences input in the OUT input items. It is not necessary to input all of the input items. For example, when a search for workflow apps is executed by inputting the IN input items and the PROCESS input items, the server 2 searches for workflow apps that are highly related to the input contents of the IN input items and the PROCESS input items.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of an input screen displayed in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. The server 2 displays an input screen having an IN input field, a PROCESS input field, and an OUT input field on the terminal device 1. Natural language can be entered into each of the IN input field, the PROCESS input field, and the OUT input field.

Note that since a workflow application may include multiple IN components, PROCESS components, and OUT components, the IN input field, PROCESS input field, and OUT input field may be added and displayed by an add operation. In this case, the server 2 can search for a workflow application having multiple components according to the added input field. However, instead of adding an input field, multiple natural sentences may be input in one input field. In this case, a specified character (e.g., a space, a comma, etc.) can be input between the natural sentences to separate them.

Fig. 1C is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of a search result displayed in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. The server 2 displays an output screen including one or more workflow apps on the terminal device 1 as a result of searching for workflow apps based on the natural language input on the input screen. Here, as an example, the server 2 displays a workflow app called "RICOH Simple Document Application for Cloud" on the output screen as a search result. The output screen may also display the workflow app name of the searched workflow app and an explanation of the workflow app.

The output screen may also display the characters used in the search. Here, as an example, the server 2 displays an output screen indicating that "Dropbox" was used as the IN input item, "barcode" as the PROCESS input item, and "Box" as the OUT input item in the search. The characters used in the search may be the natural text used in the search (e.g., the entire natural text entered by the user), or may be a keyword extracted from the natural text during the search (e.g., a part of the natural text entered by the user). In addition, if an input field is added in FIG. 1B, additional characters are displayed on the output screen accordingly.

Returning to FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, the server 2 has an input/output unit 21, a keyword extraction processing unit 22, a search unit 23, and a workflow application information storage unit 24.

The input/output unit 21 accepts input contents (input items, etc.). Specifically, the input/output unit 21 functions as an example of a display control unit that displays an input screen on a display unit such as the display 506 or the operation panel 940 (see Figures 2A and 2B). Here, the input screen includes at least one input item of an IN input item, a PROCESS input item, and an OUT input item. In addition, the input/output unit 21 outputs search results (search results of a workflow app, etc.). Specifically, the input/output unit 21 functions as an example of a display control unit that displays an output screen on a display unit. Here, the output screen includes input items and a workflow application (an example of application information) that includes a component that executes processing corresponding to the input items and is searched for based on natural language entered in the input items.

The keyword extraction processing unit 22 extracts keywords from the natural text of the input contents (i.e., the natural text entered in the input item). The search unit 23 searches for a workflow application based on the keywords extracted from the IN input item, the PROCESS input item, or the OUT input item. In this embodiment, the search unit 23 has a component search unit 23a, a flow search unit 23b, and an application search unit 23c. The component search unit 23a identifies a component similar to the keyword extracted by the keyword extraction processing unit 22. Specifically, the component search unit 23a narrows down the classification of components to be searched based on the input item, and identifies a component similar to the extracted keyword from among the components of the narrowed down classification. The flow search unit 23b searches for a workflow including the identified component. The application search unit 23c searches for a workflow application that uses the searched workflow. That is, the flow search unit 23b and the application search unit 23c search for a workflow application including the identified component.

The workflow app information storage unit 24 stores workflow app information. Here, the workflow app information includes, for each workflow app, a workflow app name, which is the name of the workflow app, and a description of the workflow app. The workflow app information is used when displaying an output screen as shown in FIG. 1C. In addition, the workflow app information storage unit 24 stores, for each workflow app, component identification information (component name, component ID, etc.) that identifies one or more components that make up the workflow app.

The workflow application information storage unit 24 also stores one or more keywords associated with each component name or component ID. Here, a keyword is information for searching for each component, and is, for example, a word or character string indicating the function or effect of the component.

As an example, the workflow application information storage unit 24 associates the keyword "Dropbox" with the IN components constituting the workflow application "RICOH Simple Document Application for Cloud" and stores them. The workflow application information storage unit 24 also associates the keyword "barcode" with the PROCESS components and stores them. The workflow application information storage unit 24 also associates the keyword "Box" with the OUT components and stores them.

The workflow application information storage unit 24 may also store information indicating whether the component is an IN component, a PROCESS component, or an OUT component for each component name or component ID. This makes it possible to search for only components indicating IN components based on the natural text entered in the IN input field in FIG. 1B (the same applies to PROCESS components and OUT components).

Note that a component may be commonly used by multiple workflow applications. For this reason, in the above description, the workflow application information storage unit 24 is described as storing a keyword associated with each component, rather than storing a keyword associated with each workflow application. However, this is not limited to the above, and the workflow application information storage unit 24 may store a keyword associated with each workflow application.

FIG. 1D is a diagram for explaining an example of components included in a workflow application searched for in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. The server 2 can create a workflow application that executes a series of processes as a workflow that combines components that execute each process. Here, the components include, as an example, an IN component, a PROCESS component, and an OUT component.

The IN component may be a component that executes processes related to data input, generation, acquisition, etc. The PROCESS component may be a component that executes predetermined processes such as data processing and conversion. The OUT component may be a component that executes processes related to data output and transmission. A workflow app may include multiple IN components, multiple PROCESS components, and multiple OUT components, and one workflow app may be composed of multiple apps.

The IN component includes a process for acquiring data from a device. For example, if the device is an MFP or a camera, the IN component includes a process for acquiring electronic data by scanning or photographing an original or subject. If the device is a projector or a display, the IN component includes a process for acquiring image data being displayed. If the device is a sensor, the IN component includes a process for acquiring the detected value of the sensor. If the device is a storage server or a storage medium, the IN component includes a process for receiving or reading data.

The IN component may also include a process for acquiring data within an information processing system that realizes the workflow app, and a process for acquiring data from another application or a storage device such as a server. For example, the IN component may include a process for requesting data managed by an application other than the workflow app or a system other than the information processing system that realizes the workflow app. In response to a request from the IN component, the other application acquires data managed by the other application or data from a server corresponding to the other application, and transmits it to the IN component that made the request. The IN component may also include a process for generating data by converting the data format, such as generating text data from image data.

The OUT component includes a process for outputting data from the device. For example, if the device is an MFP, the OUT component includes a process for printing electronic data on a medium. If the device is a projector or display, the OUT component includes a process for displaying image data or outputting audio. If the device is a storage server or storage medium, the OUT component includes a process for transmitting or storing data. The OUT component also includes a process for notifying a specified destination of data or the results of processing.

The OUT component can output data into an information processing system that realizes the workflow app, but may also include a process for outputting data to an application other than the workflow app, or to a system other than the information processing system that realizes the workflow app. For example, the OUT component includes a process for requesting the other application or system to manage the data or the results of the processing in the other application or system. In response to the request, the other application can manage the received data or the results of the processing, or transmit the data or the results of the processing to be stored in a server corresponding to the other application.

For example, by combining multiple components, a workflow application can achieve the following functions: The IN component generates image data by scanning an original document with an MFP. The PROCESS component performs character recognition processing on the image data to convert it into numerical or text data, etc. The OUT component sends the converted data to a business management system, which is an example of another system. The business management system generates management data by classifying the data received from the workflow application or organizing it based on a preset input format.

The PROCESS component may classify data and generate management data. In this case, the OUT component transmits the classification results and management data to the business management system, and the business management system simply stores the classification results and management data received from the workflow application in a specified area.

The IN component also acquires data managed by the business management system. For example, the IN component acquires data including configuration information, numerical values, text, etc. Here, the IN component may request specific data from the business management system in accordance with the configuration, or may receive specific data managed by the business management system in response to a request from the business management system.

The PROCESS component generates management data by organizing or processing numerical values or text based on the setting information. For example, the PROCESS component can create a report as management data by organizing the text or numerical values stored in the data according to the format or order set in the template file based on the data and a template file. The PROCESS component can process data acquired in an IN process, but it may also accept data and template file specifications from the user, or automatically select data and template files based on predetermined settings.

The OUT component transmits data such as management data to the business management system. The business management system stores the management data received from the workflow application in a specified area. However, the OUT component may also return the management data to the terminal or user that requested the execution of the workflow.

The business management system and the workflow app may be provided by different businesses and may be configured by different servers. For this reason, when the workflow app transmits or receives data to or from the business management system, it can transmit or receive data by communicating with the server that constitutes the business management system.

FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of a PC or a server in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. Here, the hardware configuration of the server 2 is described, but the PC, which is an example of the terminal device 1, also has a similar hardware configuration.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the server 2 is constructed by a computer, and includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, a HD 504, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 505, a display 506, an external device connection I/F (Interface) 508, a network I/F 509, a data bus 510, a keyboard 511, a pointing device 512, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk ReWritable) drive 514, and a media I/F 516.

Of these, the CPU 501 controls the operation of the entire server 5. The ROM 502 stores programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as IPL. The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HD 504 stores various data such as programs. The HDD controller 505 controls the reading or writing of various data from the HD 504 according to the control of the CPU 501. The display 506 displays various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image. The external device connection I/F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, the external device is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a printer. The network I/F 509 is an interface for data communication using the communication network 100. The data bus 510 is an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 501 shown in FIG. 1E.

The keyboard 511 is a type of input means equipped with multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. The pointing device 512 is a type of input means for selecting or executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving the cursor, etc. The DVD-RW drive 514 controls the reading or writing of various data from the DVD-RW 513, which is an example of a removable recording medium. Note that this is not limited to a DVD-RW, and may be a DVD-R, etc. The media I/F 516 controls the reading or writing (storing) of data from the recording medium 515, such as a flash memory.

Fig. 2B is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an MFP, which is an example of a terminal device included in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2B, the MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral/Product/Printer) 1 includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I/F 950.

Of these, the controller 910 has a CPU 901, which is the main part of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, which is a storage unit, an HDD controller 908, and a HD 909, which is also a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

Of these, the CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the MFP 1. The NB 903 is a bridge that connects the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, SB 904, and AGP bus 921, and has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 902 is made up of a ROM 902a, which is a memory for storing programs and data that realize the various functions of the controller 910, and a RAM 902b, which is used for expanding programs and data, and as a drawing memory during memory printing. The programs stored in the RAM 902b may be provided by recording them in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

The SB904 is a bridge for connecting the NB903 to PCI devices and peripheral devices. The ASIC906 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing, and serves as a bridge connecting the AGP bus 921, the PCI bus 922, the HDD 908, and the MEM-C 907. The ASIC906 is made up of a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of the ASIC906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 907, multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PCI bus 922. The ASIC906 may be connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394 (IEEE1394) interface.

MEM-C907 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer. HD909 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. HD909 controls the reading and writing of data from and to HD909 under the control of CPU901. AGP bus921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphic processing, and by directly accessing MEM-P902 with high throughput, the graphics accelerator card can be made faster.

The short-range communication circuit 920 also includes a short-range communication circuit 920a. The short-range communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The engine control unit 930 is further made up of a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932. The operation panel 940 has a panel display unit 940a, such as a touch panel, which displays the current setting values or a selection screen, etc., and receives input from the operator, and an operation panel 940b consisting of a numeric keypad that receives setting values for image formation conditions such as density setting conditions, and a start key that receives a copy start instruction. The controller 910 controls the entire MFP1, and controls, for example, drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 940. The scanner unit 931 or the printer unit 932 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

The MFP1 can sequentially switch between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function using the application switching key on the operation panel 940. When the document box function is selected, the document box mode is selected; when the copy function is selected, the copy mode is selected; when the printer function is selected, the printer mode is selected; and when the facsimile mode is selected, the facsimile mode is selected.

The network I/F 950 is an interface for data communication using the communication network 100. The short-range communication circuit 920 and the network I/F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for searching for a workflow application from natural text in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. First, natural text input information (input contents) for each IN input item, PROCESS input item, or OUT input item is sent from the client's MFP to the input/output unit 21 (step S301). The input/output unit 21 requests the keyword extraction processing unit 22 to extract keywords for each input item (input information) (step S302).

The keyword extraction processing unit 22 extracts keywords from the requested natural text. In this embodiment, the keyword extraction processing unit 22 extracts keywords from the natural text using keyword extraction using MeCab of OSS, key phrase extraction such as pke, etc. After that, the input/output unit 21 passes the keywords extracted for each input item to the search unit 23 and requests a search process for components (step S303).

The search unit 23 first searches for components for each category. Then, the search unit 23 searches for workflow apps.

First, component searches will be explained. All components are classified as either IN components, PROCESS components, or OUT components and stored in the database. Furthermore, words related to the component are registered in advance for all components. The component search unit 23a of the search unit 23 searches for components by narrowing down the search results by classification as either IN components, PROCESS components, or OUT components, and by performing a similarity search for related words.

Next, the flow search unit 23b of the search unit 23 searches for a workflow (step S304). The flow search unit 23b searches for a workflow that includes the components narrowed down by each of the input items, IN input item, PROCESS input item, and OUT input item, above. A workflow is expressed as a combination of components, and the components are executed in the order of IN component, PROCESS component, and OUT component. The combination of components in a workflow may include multiple PROCESS components, but the IN components and OUT components are not consecutive. However, there are cases where the IN components and OUT components are executed in parallel. For example, this is the case when input data is obtained from multiple input destinations, or when processed data is sent to multiple destinations.

Finally, after narrowing down the workflows, the application search unit 23c of the search unit 23 identifies the workflow application that uses the workflow (step S305). Then, the application search unit 23c returns the identified workflow application to the input/output unit 21 (step S306).

Figures 4A to 4D are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of a search process for a workflow application in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4A, the search in the search unit 23 includes a search process by the component search unit 23a (step S401), a search process by the flow search unit 23b (step S402), and a search process by the application search unit 23c (step S403).

In the search process by the component search unit 23a, as shown in FIG. 4B, first, the classification of components to be searched is narrowed down based on the input contents (input items) on the input screen (step S404). Next, the component search unit 23a identifies one or more IN components that match the keywords (keywords extracted by the keyword extraction processing unit 22) included in the natural sentence entered in the IN input field on the input screen from among the multiple IN components. That is, the component search unit 23a searches for components similar to the extracted keywords from among the multiple IN components based on the keywords (step S405). Similarly, the component search unit 23a identifies each of the PROCESS component and the OUT component based on the input contents on the input screen. Note that there may be multiple components that realize the same function (i.e., that match the search result).

The search process by the flow search unit 23b searches for a workflow that includes the identified IN component, PROCESS component, and OUT component. Since a workflow application may include multiple IN components, multiple PROCESS components, and multiple OUT components, a workflow that includes at least a part of the components identified by the component search unit 23a is identified.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, the flow search unit 23b determines whether an IN component has been identified by the component search unit 23a (step S406). If an IN component has been identified (step S406: Yes), the flow search unit 23b identifies a workflow including the IN component from among multiple workflows (step S407). Note that if multiple IN components have been identified by the component search unit 23a, the flow search unit 23b identifies a workflow including the IN component for each of the multiple IN components.

Next, the flow search unit 23b determines whether or not a PROCESS component has been identified by the component search unit 23a (step S408). If a PROCESS component has been identified (step S408: Yes), the flow search unit 23b identifies a workflow including the PROCESS component from among multiple workflows (step S409). Alternatively, the flow search unit 23b may further identify a workflow including the identified PROCESS component from among the workflows already identified (i.e., one or more workflows including the identified IN component).

Next, the flow search unit 23b determines whether an OUT component has been identified by the component search unit 23a (step S410). If an OUT component has been identified (step S410: Yes), the flow search unit 23b identifies a workflow including the OUT component from among multiple workflows (step S411). Alternatively, the flow search unit 23b may further identify a workflow including the identified OUT component from among the workflows already identified (i.e., one or more workflows including both the identified IN component and the identified PROCESS component).

This identifies one or more workflows that include the IN component, PROCESS component, and OUT component identified by the component search unit 23a. Note that there may be multiple workflows that realize the same function (match the search results).

In the search process by the application search unit 23c, as shown in FIG. 4D, a workflow app including the identified workflow is searched for (step S412). One workflow app may include multiple functions such as a print function, a scan function, and a fax function. Here, each function may be realized by a different workflow. For this reason, the application search unit 23c searches for a workflow app that includes at least the identified workflow.

In this way, when one or more workflow applications are identified, the identified workflow applications are sent to the client device (terminal device 1) as search results, as described above with reference to FIG. 3. As a result, an output screen such as that shown in FIG. 1C is displayed on the client device.

In this way, according to the information processing system of the first embodiment, it is possible to easily recognize whether or not there is a relationship between the input items entered by the user and the workflow app searched for based on the input items, and therefore it is possible to suggest a workflow app suitable for improving the user's business from among multiple workflow apps.

Second Embodiment
In this embodiment, a selection screen is displayed on the basis of a natural sentence entered in an input field, from which a task highly related to the natural sentence can be selected, and a workflow application that is pre-linked to the task selected on the selection screen is searched for. In the following explanation, explanations of the same configuration as in the first embodiment are omitted.

As described above, in a search for workflow apps having components corresponding to each of the input items of the IN input item, the PROCESS input item, or the OUT input item, it is possible to search for related workflow apps based on the natural text entered in each input item. However, when the input natural text is a long document, the keywords used in the search tend to include keywords that are less related to the gist of the document, which may affect the search for the workflow app. Therefore, in this embodiment, the server 2 displays a selection screen including multiple summary sentences (e.g., issues, problems) that are highly related based on the natural text entered in the input field of FIG. 1B.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen displayed in an information processing system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the input/output unit 21 displays a selection screen for selecting an issue highly relevant to the input contents, as shown in Figure 5, between an input screen on which IN input items, PROCESS input items, or OUT input items can be input, and an output screen that displays search results of workflow apps. This allows the user to select an issue highly relevant to the input contents, making it possible to propose a workflow app that is more suitable for improving the user's business.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the server 2 has an input/output unit 21, a keyword extraction processing unit 22, an issue classification processing unit 601, a workflow application search processing unit 602, an issue classification information storage unit 603, a mapping information storage unit 604, and a workflow application information storage unit 605.

The task classification processing unit 601 classifies tasks (e.g., business tasks) based on the extracted keywords. The workflow app search processing unit 602 acquires workflow apps from the workflow app information storage unit 24.

The problem classification information storage unit 603 stores a dictionary including problems and keywords associated with the problems. When a workflow application is commercialized, the problems to be solved by the workflow application and the keywords associated with the problems are registered in the problem classification information storage unit 603.

The mapping information storage unit 604 stores mapping information that links tasks with workflow applications. When the workflow application is commercialized, the mapping information is registered in the mapping information storage unit 604.

The workflow app information storage unit 605 stores workflow app information related to workflow apps. The workflow app information storage unit 605 manages business issues and workflow apps in association with each other. The workflow app information storage unit 605 may also manage multiple workflow apps in association with one business issue.

Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for searching for a workflow app from natural language in an information processing system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, when a keyword is passed to the search unit 23 and a component search process is requested (step S303), the task classification processing unit 601 searches for a task (e.g., a business task) that is highly related to the extracted keyword among the tasks registered in advance (step S701).

Fig. 8A is a diagram for explaining an example of a business task that is pre-registered in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 8B is a diagram for explaining an example of a database table stored in the task classification information storage unit of the information processing system according to the second embodiment. Although any data format is acceptable, keywords associated with business tasks are pre-registered in the task classification information storage unit 603 as shown in Fig. 8A.

The task classification information storage unit 603 may store, for each registered keyword, information indicating which of the input fields shown in FIG. 1B the keyword corresponds to: the IN input field, the PROCOSESS input field, or the OUT input field. For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, "paper or fax" is set to correspond to the IN input field. In this case, when "paper or fax" is entered into the IN input field, the task classification processing unit 601 can determine that the input content is related to business task A.

Note that one keyword may be set to correspond to multiple input fields. For example, "order placement and receipt work with business partners" may be set to correspond to all of the IN input field, the PROCESS input field, and the OUT input field. In this case, when "order placement and receipt work with business partners" is entered into any of the input fields, the task classification processing unit 601 can determine that the input content is related to business task A. In this way, the greater the number of keywords determined to be related to business task A, the more the input content can be determined to be related to business task A (higher the degree of relevance).

The task classification processing unit 601 performs a full-text search such as Elastic Search on the keywords linked to the business tasks in the task classification information storage unit 603. The search algorithm may be N-Gram or morphological analysis. The task classification processing unit 601 can search for business tasks for the input task by searching for business tasks using the keywords extracted by the keyword extraction processing unit 22 as search words.

The more keywords linked to business issues the search word hits, the more likely it is that it is a business issue for the input task. However, just knowing that it is likely to be a business issue does not mean it is conclusive. For this reason, the top several business issues based on the search score are returned to the input/output unit 21 (step S702), a selection screen is displayed from which a business issue can be selected (step S703), and the user is prompted to select a business issue (step S704).

The business task selected on the selection screen is passed to the workflow app search processing unit 602, which searches the workflow app information storage unit 605 (database) for a workflow app linked to the business task (step S705). The workflow app search processing unit 602 returns the identified workflow app to the input/output unit 21 (step S706).

The workflow app search processing unit 602 identifies one or more workflow apps linked to the selected business task. The input/output unit 21 can display the identified workflow apps on an output screen as shown in FIG. 1C. Also, instead of displaying the input contents of the IN input items, the PROCOSESS input items, and the OUT input items, the output screen may display the business task selected by the user.

The server 2 may also identify a workflow app by combining the first and second embodiments. That is, the workflow app search processing unit 602 identifies a workflow app by accepting a selection of a business task as shown in the second embodiment. At this time, if multiple workflow apps are identified, the workflow app search processing unit 602 further identifies the workflow app by the search method shown in the first embodiment. This makes it possible to further narrow down the workflow apps to be identified.

In the first embodiment, a workflow app including all of the IN component, PROCESS component, and OUT component based on the input content in the input field is identified, but this is not limited to this. For example, a workflow app including any of the IN component, PROCESS component, and OUT component based on the input field may be identified. This is because the apps required by the user have already been narrowed down to a certain extent by the selection of the business task.

In this way, the information processing system according to the second embodiment can allow the user to select an issue that is highly related to the input contents, thereby making it possible to propose a workflow app that is more suitable for improving the user's business operations.

Each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. In this specification, the term "processing circuit" includes devices such as a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a conventional circuit module designed to execute each function described above.

The devices described in the examples are merely illustrative of one of several computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the server 2 includes a plurality of computing devices, such as a server cluster. The plurality of computing devices are configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., and perform the processes disclosed herein. Similarly, the terminal device 1 can include a plurality of computing devices configured to communicate with each other. Similarly, the functions of the server 2 can be performed by the terminal device 1. Also, the elements of the server 2 and the terminal device 1 may be combined into one server device or may be separated into multiple devices.

The terminal device 1 is not limited to an image forming device, so long as it is a device equipped with a communication function. The terminal device 1 may be, for example, a PJ (Projector), an IWB (Interactive White Board: a white board with an electronic blackboard function that allows mutual communication), an output device such as digital signage, a HUD (Head Up Display) device, industrial machinery, an imaging device, a sound collection device, medical equipment, a network home appliance, an automobile (Connected Car), a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a game console, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a digital camera, a wearable PC, or a desktop PC.

The program executed by server 2 in this embodiment is provided in advance in ROM 502 or the like. The program executed by server 2 in this embodiment may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Furthermore, the program executed by server 2 of this embodiment may be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the program executed by server 2 of this embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The program executed by the server 2 in this embodiment has a modular configuration including the above-mentioned units (the input/output unit 21, the keyword extraction processing unit 22, the task classification processing unit 601, and the workflow app search processing unit 602), and in terms of actual hardware, a processor such as the CPU 501 reads out the program from the ROM 502 and executes it, thereby loading the above-mentioned units onto the main storage device, and the input/output unit 21, the keyword extraction processing unit 22, the task classification processing unit 601, and the workflow app search processing unit 602 are generated on the main storage device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Terminal device 2 Server 21 Input/output unit 22 Keyword extraction processing unit 23 Search unit 23a Component search unit 23b Flow search unit 23c Application search unit 24 Workflow application information storage unit 501 CPU
502 ROM
601: Task classification processing unit; 602: Workflow application search processing unit; 603: Task classification information storage unit; 604: Mapping information storage unit; 605: Workflow application information storage unit

JP 2017-076368 A

Claims (8)

an input screen including at least one of a first input item indicating an attribute or an acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or an output method of a processing result of the predetermined process;
an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes a process corresponding to the input items and is searched for based on a natural sentence input into the input items;
A display control unit that displays
An information processing device comprising: a keyword extraction processing unit that extracts keywords from natural sentences input into the input items;
a search unit that searches for the application information based on the extracted keyword;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising: The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the search unit identifies the components similar to the extracted keywords and searches for the application information including the identified components. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the search unit narrows down the classification of the components to be searched based on the input items, and identifies the components similar to the extracted keyword from among the components in the narrowed down classification. the display control unit displays a selection screen on which a task highly related to a natural sentence input into the input field can be selected,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the search unit searches for the application information that is pre-linked to the assignment selected on the selection screen. An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
displaying an input screen including at least one input item of a first input item indicating an attribute or acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or output method of a processing result of the predetermined process;
displaying an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes a process corresponding to the input items, the application information being searched for based on the natural sentence entered in the input items;
An information processing method comprising: Computer,
an input screen including at least one of a first input item indicating an attribute or an acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or an output method of a processing result of the predetermined process;
an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes a process corresponding to the input items and is searched for based on a natural sentence input into the input items;
A display control unit that displays
A program to function as a An information processing system having a device and an information processing device,
The information processing device includes:
an input screen including at least one of an input item indicating an attribute or an acquisition method of a processing target in a business, a second input item indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the processing target, and a third input item indicating an attribute or an output method of a processing result of the predetermined process;
an output screen including the input items and application information including a component that executes a process corresponding to the input items and is searched for based on a natural sentence input into the input items;
a display control unit that displays the
An information processing system comprising:

Images