JP4431300B2 - Electronic document circulation system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for circulating electronic documents on a computer network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, paperwork in a company is carried out by circulating documents sequentially to the parties concerned, obtaining approval from a predetermined approver, and then storing the circulated documents. In general, the circulation of documents within a company is generally done by turning a paper document to a reader in order while leaving a circulation or approval sign or seal on the document. Was done by storing. However, in the circulation of paper documents, the document itself is directly routed to each circulator. Therefore, when the circulator is absent, the circulation document may be lost while being placed on the desk. Circulation documents that are prohibited from being viewed by persons other than those concerned may easily be browsed by unspecified persons, and if they are handled in a rough manner, the documents may be damaged during circulation. Furthermore, the paper-based document after the circulation has a storage problem such that a large storage space is required and it is easy to change over time.
[0003]
In addition, various office processing software is commercially available to improve the efficiency of various office processes such as accounting, customer management, and product sales management. Data input and data processing by distributed processing using a server / client system Is possible. However, in this case, a document in which data to be input is circulated in advance in the company, and after receiving a predetermined confirmation and approval, data is input to the system.
[0004]
Furthermore, in recent years, it has become possible to improve the efficiency of business processing by making electronic documents of in-house documents using electronic filing systems, and to facilitate the storage thereof. Building and exchanging e-mail is becoming widespread.
Therefore, it is possible to circulate in-house documents using e-mail and to convert all in-house documents into electronic data using electronic filing systems and various office processing software using server / client systems. .
[0005]
However, although e-mail is suitable as a means for exchanging information between general individual users, it is not suitable for application to in-house document circulation. This is because in the circulation of documents in the company, the circulation range and the circulation order may differ depending on the type of document, and the circulation processing authority for the same circulation document depends on the difference in the posts in the company. Although there is a difference (for example, general employees and section managers can confirm circulation, department managers can approve circulation, and circulation storage staff can store documents after completion of circulation). This is because it is not possible to automatically manage the email transmission range and transmission order and automatically grant the processing authority for the email.
[0006]
Thus, although various means for converting the in-house document into electronic data have been developed and introduced so far, the circulation of the in-house document must still be based on the paper medium. Digitalization of all documents in the company has not been realized yet.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic document (including a computerized document that needs to be attached to the electronic document) using a computer network such as a LAN instead of a paper medium circulation in the company. It is in providing the system which can perform circulation by.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, the circulation management server includes a plurality of clients connected to the circulation management server via a communication line and transmitting and receiving data to and from the circulation management server. A system for circulating an electronic document between the clients under the management of a management server, wherein the circulation management server stores a participant identification information storage unit in which an ID and a password of a circulation participant are recorded, and an electronic document is stored A stored electronic document storage unit, and at least a circulation processable electronic document name for each circulation participant,The next route, andA circulation management information storage unit in which data on the type of circulation processing authority given to each circulation processable electronic document is recorded, and each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unitThe next circulation destination generated every time the circulation is executed or the continuous circulation destination after the next circulation destinationA circulation order information storage unit in which data relating to circulation is recorded, a circulation history recording unit in which data relating to a circulation processing history of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit is recorded, and an ID of the circulation participant from the client And the combination of the ID and the password when the password is received, the participant identification information storage unitIf not recorded inA connection permission determination unit that rejects connection with the client but permits connection with the client if recorded, and circulation participation corresponding to the client permitted to connect from the circulation management information storage unit Send data about the user, and send a circulation start request from the client.RecievedWhenThe data related to the next circulation destination recorded in the circulation order information storage unit is examined, and an electronic document in which the next circulation destination matches the circulation participant permitted to connect is read from the electronic document storage unit.A circulation control unit that transmits to the client, and the client receives each electronic data received from the circulation control unit of the circulation management server based on data received from the circulation management information storage unit of the circulation management server. The circulation processing can be executed based on the circulation processing authority previously given to the document, and the circulation control unit of the circulation management server further receives the circulation end notification from the client together with the electronic document. Record the circulation history information about the electronic document in the circulation history recording unit,Data related to the next circulation destination is recorded in the circulation order information storage unit, and when the content of the received electronic document is changed from the content of the electronic document stored in the circulation document storage unit, the received electronic document Replacing the contents of the stored electronic document with the contents of the stored electronic documentAn electronic document circulation system is provided.
[0009]
  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and according to the present invention, a circulation management server, and a plurality of clients connected to the circulation management server via a communication line and transmitting and receiving data to and from the circulation management server, A system for circulating an electronic document between the clients under the management of the circulation management server, wherein the circulation management server includes a participant identification information storage unit in which an ID and a password of a circulation participant are recorded, and an electronic document And an electronic document storage unit storing at least a circulation processable electronic document name for each circulation participant,The next route, andA circulation management information storage unit in which data on the type of circulation processing authority given to each circulation processable electronic document is recorded, and each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unitThe next circulation destination generated every time the circulation is executed or a continuous circulation destination after the next circulation destinationA circulation order information storage unit in which data relating to circulation is recorded, a circulation history recording unit in which data relating to a circulation processing history of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit is recorded, and an ID of the circulation participant from the client And the combination of the ID and the password when the password is received, the participant identification information storage unitIf not recorded inThe connection with the client is rejected, but if it is recorded, the circulation permission / rejection determination unit that permits the connection with the client, and the circulation start request from the client permitted to connect with the client.RecievedWhenThe data related to the next circulation destination recorded in the circulation order information storage unit is examined, and an electronic document in which the next circulation destination and the circulating user permitted to connect is read from the electronic document storage unit.Send to the client,Based on the data recorded in the circulation management information storage section, the client is given circulation processing authority for the electronic document permitted to the circulation participant.A circulation control unit, and for each electronic document, the client can execute only the circulation process to which the processing authority is given by the circulation control unit of the circulation management server, and the circulation of the circulation management server. The control unit further records the circulation history information about the electronic document in the circulation history recording unit when receiving the circulation end notification from the client together with the electronic document,Data relating to the next circulation destination is recorded in the circulation order information storage unit, and when the content of the received electronic document is changed from the content of the electronic document stored in the circulation document storage unit, the received electronic document Replacing the content of the document with the content of the stored electronic documentAn electronic document circulation system is provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an electronic document circulation system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a circulation management server of the system of FIG. . As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic document circulation system according to the present invention includes a circulation management server 1 and a plurality of clients connected to the circulation management server 1 via a communication line 3 and transmitting / receiving data to / from the circulation management server 1. 2a to 2d. The electronic document is circulated between the clients 2a to 2d under the management of the circulation management server 1.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 2, the circulation management server 1 includes a participant identification information storage unit 4 in which the ID and password of a circulation participant are recorded, an electronic document storage unit 5 in which an electronic document is stored, and a circulation participant. Each has at least a circulation management information storage unit 6 in which data relating to the type of circulation processing authority granted to each circulation processable electronic document is recorded.
[0012]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the circulation participant is designated by the president, the department manager, the section manager, the employees (1) to (5), and the person in charge of storage (designated the electronic document after the circulation is completed). And a person in charge of execution (a person who completes circulation of an electronic document that satisfies the condition (circulation approval is completed) and stores it in a designated storage location). In addition, a participant code is given to each circulation participant in order to identify each.
[0013]
Further, in this embodiment, the system performs “continuous circulation” that sequentially circulates for each circulation participant in accordance with a predetermined circulation order, and “simultaneous / continuous combination” that simultaneously circulates to the circulation participants up to the approver of circulation. It is possible to execute three types of circulation methods: “circulation” and “group / continuous complex circulation” for performing “continuous circulation” after circulation to a group registered in advance.
In this embodiment, the grouping of the circulation participants when the “group / continuous composite circulation” is executed is as shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 3B, employees (1) to (5) are registered in group A, and employees (1) to (2) are registered in group B.
[0014]
In this embodiment, the circulation processing authority has the following eight types.
(1) “Confirmation”: Confirms to circulate the created electronic document or the electronic document that has been circulated to the next designated circulation participant.
(2) “Approve”: Approves the created electronic document or the electronic document that has been circulated to be circulated to the next designated circulation participant.
(3) “Execution”: Ends circulation of the electronic document satisfying the condition and stores it in the designated storage location.
(4) “Approval / execution”: Approves the created electronic document or the electronic document that has been circulated, executes the electronic document if the condition is satisfied, and stores it in the designated storage location.
(5) “Return”: The electronic document is returned to the previous circulation participant or the designated circulation participant.
(6) “Send”: Send an electronic document to the designated circulation participant.
(7) “Storage”: The electronic document being created or the electronic document that has been circulated is stored.
(8) “Browse”: Display and browse electronic documents created by other stored participants.
In the system of the present invention, an electronic document to be circulated is not considered to have been circulated unless it has been approved by at least one circulation participant who has been granted “approval” authority to the electronic document. It has become.
The type of circulation processing authority is not limited to this embodiment, and can be determined in advance according to the type of circulation processing scheduled by the system. For example, a “creation” authority for creating an electronic document, a “change” authority for changing or deleting the contents of the electronic document, and the like can be included in the circulation processing authority.
In this embodiment, the circulation processing authority is electronically documented as a “circulation processing authority setting document” for each circulation participant and each electronic document, and is stored in the circulation management information storage unit 6 and the circulation order information storage unit 7. It can be recorded. As described above, when the circulation processing authority is electronically documented as “circulation processing authority setting document” for each circulation participant and each electronic document, for example, when a new circulation participant occurs, a new circulation participant is created. Creates a “circulation processing authority setting document” by itself, circulates it to the already registered circulation participants, obtains a predetermined approval, and stores it in the circulation management information storage unit 6 and the circulation order information. By recording the information in the section 7, it is possible to create information on its own circulation processing by itself and register it in the system. In addition, for already registered circulation participants, it is possible to update the information already registered regarding their own circulation processing by themselves (after circulation to other circulation participants and approval by the approver). It becomes possible.
[0015]
4 to 10 show examples of data recorded in the circulation management information storage unit 6. 4 shows data related to the president (participant code 1001), FIG. 5 shows data related to the general manager (participant code 1002), and FIG. 6 shows data related to the section manager (participant code 1003). Is data relating to the employee (1) (participant code 1004), FIG. 8 is data relating to the employees (2) to (5) (participant codes 1005 to 1008), and FIG. FIG. 10 shows data related to the person in charge of execution (participant code 1902).
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 10, in this embodiment, the circulation management information storage unit 6 is assigned to the circulation processable electronic document name and the circulation processable electronic document for each circulation participant. Data on the type of circulation processing authority, the name of the circulation group to which the user belongs, the next circulation destination, and the approver, executor, and storage destination of the circulation are recorded.
[0016]
For example, as can be seen from FIG. 4, regarding the electronic document “business partner registration slip” for the president, “confirmation”, “approval”, “approval / execution”, “return”, “send” and “storage”, and The authority of the circulation processing of “browsing” is granted, the next circulation destination is the general manager, the approver of this electronic document is two people (the president himself and the general manager), the executor is the person in charge of execution, and the storage destination is It is recorded that the person is in charge of storage, and as can be seen from FIG. 6, regarding the section manager, “confirmation”, “return”, “send” and “storage” The next circulation destination is the general manager, the approver of this electronic document is two people (the president and the general manager), the executor is the person in charge of execution, and the storage destination is It is recorded that the person is in charge of storage.
[0017]
FIG. 11 shows circulation processing data for all circulation participants of the electronic document “business partner registration slip” that can be formed based on the data (see FIGS. 4 to 10) recorded in the circulation management information storage unit 6. A list is shown.
[0018]
The electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit 5 includes a ready-made electronic document having a ready-made format provided by the system of the present invention, a user defined by a user using commercially available word processing software, spreadsheet software, or the like. Definition electronic documents and program electronic documents created by documenting data input screens of various application software (for example, accounting software, business management software, etc.) are included.
[0019]
The user-defined electronic document is created by the circulation creator after creating a document that is not in the existing formatted electronic document, then circulating it to the circulation participants in advance, obtaining confirmation and approval, and the electronic document storage unit as a new existing formatted electronic document. 5 is additionally registered. As described above, the user-defined electronic document can be stored in the electronic document storage unit 5 and can be circulated, so that any document in the company (paper medium document) can be converted into electronic data and circulated and stored.
[0020]
In addition, when a program electronic document is circulated, a data input screen of application software related to the program electronic document is sequentially circulated to each circulation participant together with data input through the screen, and the program electronic document is circulated. After the completion, it is stored in the electronic document storage unit 5. As a result, as before, documents with data to be entered are circulated in-house in advance, and after receiving a predetermined confirmation and approval, without entering data into the system using application software, After the program electronic document is circulated directly, it is stored in the electronic document storage unit 5 so that data can be input by application software. Then, the circulation participant who is given the “browsing” authority can easily view the data input by the application software by browsing the program electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit 5.
[0021]
  The circulation management server 1 also stores each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit 5.The next circulation destination generated every time the circulation is executed or a continuous circulation destination after the next circulation destinationA circulation order information storage unit 7 in which data relating to circulation is recorded, and a circulation history recording unit 8 in which data relating to the circulation processing history of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit 5 is recorded.
  FIG. 12 shows data recorded in the circulation order information storage unit 7 in this embodiment, and (A) to (C) show an electronic document “business partner registration slip” by an employee (3), respectively. The data related to the circulation order of “continuous circulation”, the data related to the circulation order of “simultaneous / continuous compound circulation”, and the data related to the circulation order of “group / continuous compound circulation” when created.
  As can be seen from FIG. 12, in the case of “continuous circulation” of the electronic document “Business Partner Registration Form”, the “Business Partner Registration Form” created by the employee (3) is confirmed by the employee (1), After receiving confirmation from the section manager, approval is received from the general manager and approval from the president. Thereafter, the information is executed by a person in charge of execution or stored by a person in charge of storage.
  In addition, in the case of “simultaneous / continuous combined circulation” of the electronic document “Business Partner Registration Form”, the “Business Partner Registration Form” created by the employee (3) is circulated to the employee (1) and the section manager at the same time. After receiving confirmation, it is approved by the general manager and approved by the president, and then executed by the person in charge or stored by the person in charge of storage.
  In addition, in the case of “Group / Continuous Compound Circulation” in the electronic document “Business Partner Registration Card”, the “Business Partner Registration Card” created by the employee (3) is the employee (2), employee (4). And a group consisting of employees (5) at the same time, after confirmation, after confirmation by employee (1) and confirmation by section manager, after approval by general manager and approval by president, Executed by the performer or stored by the custodian.
[0022]
The circulation history recording unit 8 records at least data of the name of the participant who has finished the circulation process and the date and time when the circulation process is completed.
[0023]
FIGS. 13 to 15 show “continuous circulation” from the “creation” process of the electronic document to the “execution” process of the electronic document when the employee (3) creates the electronic document “registration slip for business partners”. , “Simultaneous / Continuous Compound Circulation” and “Group / Continuous Compound Circulation”. 13 to 15, among the circulation processing authorities such as “confirmation”, “approval”, “approval / execution”, etc., the shaded items indicate the circulation processing authority given to the circulation participant. Yes.
[0024]
  Further, when the circulation management server 1 receives the circulation participant ID and password from the clients 2a to 2d, the circulation management server 1 checks whether or not the combination of the ID and password is recorded in the participant identification information storage unit 4. If not, the connection with the clients 2a to 2d is rejected, but if recorded, the circulation permission / rejection determination unit 9 that permits the connection with the clients 2a to 2d and the circulation to the clients 2a to 2d that are permitted to connect. When data relating to the corresponding circulation participant is transmitted from the management information storage unit 6 and a circulation start request is received from the clients 2a to 2d,The data related to the next circulation destination recorded in the circulation order information storage unit 7 is checked, and an electronic document in which the next circulation destination matches the circulation participant permitted to connect is read from the electronic document storage unit 4.And a circulation control unit 10 that transmits data to the clients 2a to 2d.
[0025]
Based on the data received from the circulation management information storage unit 6 of the circulation management server 1, the clients 2 a to 2 d are based on the circulation processing authority given in advance for each electronic document received from the circulation control unit 10 of the circulation management server 1. The circulation process can be executed. Further, when the circulation control unit 10 of the circulation management server 1 receives the circulation end notification from the clients 2a to 2d together with the electronic document, it records the circulation history information regarding the electronic document in the circulation history recording unit 8, and the circulation document storage unit. The content of the electronic document stored in 5 is updated with the content of the received electronic document.
[0026]
Next, an operation method of the electronic document circulation system according to the present invention will be described. First, the circulation participant accesses the circulation management server 1 from an appropriate client, for example, the client 2a of FIG. When the client 2a is connected to the circulation management server 1, a screen for inputting the circulation participant's ID and password is displayed on the display of the client 2a. When the ID and password are input through this screen, the circulation management server 1 determines whether or not the combination of the ID and password is registered in advance. If the combination of ID and password is registered, a list of circulation documents related to the circulation participant is displayed on the display of the client 2a.
[0027]
When the circulation participant selects one circulation document from the list, a screen as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the display of the client 2a. In FIG. 16, an area 20 is a circulation processing unit, which includes buttons 22 for executing various circulation processes, and includes a document name display field 23, a circulation method display field 24, and a circulation history display field 25. Various display fields for displaying information necessary for the circulation process are provided. An area 21 is a document part, and displays the contents of the circulation document selected by the circulation participant.
[0028]
In this case, regarding the circulation processing for which the authority is not given to the client 2a, the operation is performed even if the corresponding circulation processing button is not displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. Can not be pressed).
[0029]
  When the circulation participant completes the circulation processing of the circulation document in the client 2a, a circulation end notification is transmitted from the client 2a to the circulation control unit 10 of the circulation management server 1 together with the circulation document. This circulation end notification is sent together with the circulation document when a button such as circulation processing corresponding to the end of circulation, “pending”, “confirmation”, “approval”, “approval / execution” or “execution” is pressed. Is done.
  Thus, the circulation control unit 10 of the circulation management server 1 records the circulation history information regarding the circulation document in the circulation history recording unit 8,When the content of the received circulation document is changed from the content of the electronic document stored in the circulation document storage unit 5, the content of the received circulation document is replaced with the content of the stored electronic document.
[0030]
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be considered. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when connection with the circulation management server is permitted, data regarding the circulation processing authority is transmitted to each client, and each client can perform the circulation processing based on the received data. However, instead of using such a configuration, data regarding the circulation processing authority for each client is always held on the circulation management server side, and each time the client executes the circulation processing, It may be configured to inquire about the circulation processing authority.
[0031]
Further, in-house documents include documents that need to be circulated in order to obtain confirmation and approval as described above, and documents that do not need to be circulated. Of course, it is necessary to convert the document into electronic data even for a document that does not require circulation for obtaining confirmation or approval. In this case, according to the electronic circulation system according to another embodiment of the present invention, a format or function specialized for only the circulation participant to whom the mail is to be sent is added to the electronic mail, By providing this e-mail with a special format and function, efficient electronic documentation, delivery, storage, and the like of a document that does not require circulation for confirmation and approval are realized.
[0032]
That is, according to this embodiment, in the e-mail, there is a file attachment function capable of displaying a format having a frame for pasting a document created by word processing software or spreadsheet software, and a file attachment function in a list format. It is possible to select a format suitable for the purpose at the time of creating an electronic document, such as a format that the user has.
[0033]
In addition, for documents that require reply confirmation, such as meeting information and questionnaires, reply confirmation items (such as attendance, necessity of meals, questionnaire count items, etc.) for each document that requires reply confirmation by the sender of the e-mail , And the corresponding reply options ("Attendance" or "Absence" when the reply confirmation item is "Attendance", "Required" or "No" when the reply confirmation item is "Meals required" , If the reply confirmation item is "Survey tabulation item", "Item choice" is set, and it is incorporated into the email as part of the email data, and then sent (distributed) to participate in the circulation Sent to the person. At the same time, it consists of a reply confirmation item incorporated as part of the email data in a specific location on the client storage device used by the sender and a space for recording the corresponding reply content. Destination list data is recorded.
When an e-mail is received by each circulation participant's client, the corresponding reply content is selected or input by the client for each e-mail reply item, and is returned to the e-mail sender's client.
[0034]
When the e-mail sender's client receives a reply e-mail from each client of the e-mail destination, each of the other e-mails in the space for recording the reply contents in the destination list data recorded in the storage device of the e-mail sender's client Data returned from the client is automatically recorded.
Further, according to this embodiment, the circulation management server is further provided with the public document data storage unit, so that the circulation participant can freely browse the electronic document stored in the public document data storage unit from the client. It has become.
[0035]
As described above, according to the electronic document circulation system according to the present invention, an electronic document is automatically circulated while giving the authority of circulation processing according to the difference in post in the company using an in-house LAN or the like. It is possible to eliminate the need for a seal (confirmation mark, approval mark) at the time of circulation using a conventional paper medium, and to enable electronic approval.
Further, according to the electronic document circulation system of the present invention, any document can be digitized and automatically circulated, so that all documents in the company can be converted into electronic data. In addition, data entry screens for application software such as accounting, customer management, and product sales management are converted into electronic documents, and the data entered through these screens are circulated as program electronic documents in the same way as other electronic documents, with a predetermined approval. Since it can be stored at the same time as being automatically imported as application software data, it is necessary to circulate the required documents and obtain approval prior to data entry by the application software as before. Therefore, the data input operation can be performed more efficiently than before.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an electronic document circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a circulation management server of the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3A is a list of circulation participants, and FIG. 3B is a table showing grouping of circulation participants.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation management information storage unit.
11 is a list of circulation processing data for all circulation participants of an electronic document created based on the data examples shown in FIGS. 4 to 10. FIG.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of data recorded in a circulation order information storage unit.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of “continuous circulation” from “creation” processing of an electronic document to “execution” processing of the electronic document.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an example of “simultaneous / continuous compound circulation” from “creation” processing of an electronic document to “execution” processing of the electronic document;
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an example of “group / continuous compound circulation” from “creation” processing of an electronic document to “execution” processing of the electronic document;
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on a client display during circulation processing.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 circular management server
2a-2d client
3 communication lines
4 Participant identification information storage
5 Electronic document storage
6 Circulation management information storage
7 Circulation order information storage
8 Circulation history recording part
9 circulation permission / rejection determination section
10 Circulation control section

Claims (2)

A circulation management server; and a plurality of clients connected to the circulation management server via a communication line and transmitting / receiving data to / from the circulation management server, and an electronic document is managed between the clients under the management of the circulation management server. A system for circulating
The circulation management server
A participant identification information storage unit in which the ID and password of the circulation participant are recorded;
An electronic document storage unit storing electronic documents;
A circulation management information storage unit in which data on at least the circulation processable electronic document name, the next circulation destination, and the type of circulation processing authority given to each circulation processable electronic document is recorded for each circulation participant. When,
A circulation order information storage unit in which data relating to the next circulation destination generated at the time of circulation execution of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit or data related to a continuous circulation destination after the next circulation destination is recorded;
A circulation history recording unit in which data related to the circulation processing history of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit is recorded;
When the circulation participant ID and password are received from the client, the connection with the client is rejected unless the combination of the ID and password is recorded in the participant identification information storage unit. A circulation permission / rejection determination unit that permits connection with the client,
When data relating to the corresponding circulation participant is transmitted from the circulation management information storage unit to the client permitted to connect, and the circulation start request is received from the client, the next recorded in the circulation order information storage unit A circulation control unit that reads data related to the circulation destination, reads an electronic document in which the next circulation destination and a circulation participant permitted to connect are read from the electronic document storage unit , and transmits the electronic document to the client; Have
The client executes the circulation process based on the circulation processing authority given in advance for each electronic document received from the circulation control unit of the circulation management server based on the data received from the circulation management information storage unit of the circulation management server. Is possible,
When the circulation control unit of the circulation management server receives a circulation end notification from the client together with the electronic document, the circulation control unit records the circulation history information regarding the electronic document in the circulation history recording unit, and stores data regarding the next circulation destination. When the contents of the received electronic document are changed from the contents of the electronic document stored in the circulation document storage unit, the contents of the received electronic document are recorded in the circulation order information storage unit. An electronic document circulation system characterized by replacing the contents of an electronic document. A circulation management server; and a plurality of clients connected to the circulation management server via a communication line and transmitting / receiving data to / from the circulation management server, and an electronic document is managed between the clients under the management of the circulation management server. A system for circulating
The circulation management server
A participant identification information storage unit in which the ID and password of the circulation participant are recorded;
An electronic document storage unit storing electronic documents;
A circulation management information storage unit in which data on at least the circulation processable electronic document name, the next circulation destination, and the type of circulation processing authority given to each circulation processable electronic document is recorded for each circulation participant. When,
A circulation order information storage unit in which data related to the next circulation destination generated at the time of circulation execution of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit or data about successive circulation destinations after the next circulation destination is recorded;
A circulation history recording unit in which data related to the circulation processing history of each electronic document stored in the electronic document storage unit is recorded;
When the circulation participant ID and password are received from the client, the connection with the client is rejected unless the combination of the ID and password is recorded in the participant identification information storage unit. A circulation permission / rejection determination unit that permits connection with the client,
When the circulation start request is received from the client permitted to connect, the data related to the next circulation destination recorded in the circulation order information storage unit is checked, and the next circulation destination, the reader permitted to connect, Is read from the electronic document storage unit and transmitted to the client, and the circulation participant is permitted to the client based on the data recorded in the circulation management information storage unit. A circulation control unit for granting circulation processing authority to the electronic document ,
For each electronic document, the client can execute only the circulation process to which the processing authority is given by the circulation control unit of the circulation management server,
When the circulation control unit of the circulation management server receives a circulation end notification from the client together with the electronic document, the circulation control unit records the circulation history information about the electronic document in the circulation history recording unit, and the data about the next circulation destination. Is stored in the circulation order information storage unit, and when the content of the received electronic document is changed from the content of the electronic document stored in the circulation document storage unit, the content of the received electronic document is stored. An electronic document circulation system characterized by replacing the content of an electronic document.

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