JPH05225194A - Document preparing system, document review supporting system and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve efficiency for adjustment between managers in group work by providing a management processing part for managing the advancement of a document preparation/review process by a group, managing the version of each process prepared by each person in charge and managing the advance ment making comment attachment.processing report or the like into a system. CONSTITUTION:As the document processing system, following elements are provided. Namely, this system is provided with a document constitution processing part 1 to process information for constituting a document as the element provided for a client, and a document processing part 7 to prepare the document by utilizing the information processed by the document constitution processing part 1. As the elements provided for a server, this system is provided with a merge processing part 3 to merge plural documents prepared by the client, review processing part 4 to execute processings concerning the review of the prepared document and the comment of the review result, and management processing part 6 to manage the advancing conditions of the document processing part 7, review processing part 4 and merge processing part 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document creation system for utilizing a network environment to create a document asynchronously and cooperatively by a large number of people for mutual review. The present invention also relates to a document review support system for supporting decision making by creating a document while a plurality of people / departments collaboratively review in a distributed environment via a network. Further, according to the present invention, by performing the content analysis of the electronic mail, the complicated work is automatically executed according to the content of the mail body, and the desired processing can be realized only by giving a message in the mail destination folder. Regarding processing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In many cases, a document created in an organization is shared by a plurality of people, such as a report, a specification or a manual, and the author often crosses departments. In addition, the written documents are often reviewed by each person in charge. Against this background, the network environment has been improved, and there is an increasing need for a system that supports document creation / review work in group work. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a document creation device that supports collaborative writing of a document by an author and a reviewer using an electronic mail function. That is, some reviewers read out the document via the network, proposed corrections, the author corrected the document by referring to those comments, and the authors posted the comments themselves and the A document creation device that can be used interactively to respond to it, and a document creation device that supports communication and information sharing within a group regarding documents and utilizes hypermedia links for annotations to support collaborative writing via a network is there. Also, sharing documents,
Some of them achieve collaborative writing work by features such as annotating and exchanging messages between authors.

Further, as a recent technique, there is a collaborative document preparation tool for supporting information sharing and communication between collaborators of documents such as annotations and message exchanges. For example, some reviewers read the document over the network and posted comments to suggest corrections, the author reworked the document based on those comments, and the author posted the comments himself. Some of them can be used interactively by reviewers. Also, revision proposals, public comments,
There are some that set the type of annotation such as direct message and personal message for review. Furthermore, some annotations can have attributes such as the author, the date and time of creation, and other attributes determined by the user. However, in these conventional systems, the function regarding review is not sufficient. In other words, the functions of the prepared annotations are mainly those for the purpose of document revision, and comments are attached, that is, the work analysis of the review work is insufficient, and only a framework for supporting communication is provided. It was

Further, as a recent technology, there is one that classifies electronic mails by rules and can instruct a simple operation. For example, some rules apply when mail is retrieved from a mail server to a user's local workstation to classify the mail. There are also things that can trigger rules when mail arrives in a specified folder.

[0005]

The conventional document creation apparatus does not have a document creation client, document creation deadline, document creation schedule, access right, security check, reviewer, review deadline, review schedule, and progress management mechanism. Therefore, it is difficult for multiple people to use the system efficiently in multiple places at the same time, and the function to cite or refer to the document segment or reference material created by each client when creating the document is insufficient. There was such a problem. In addition, support for the start of collaborative work, real-time communication,
There were problems with consistent document creation and support for distributed collaborative work. It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art and to provide a document creation method aiming at improving the quality of document description contents, improving the efficiency of group adjustment work, and improving the efficiency of document creation.

Further, in a system in which documents of a plurality of authors are integrated to create one document and the authors of the plurality of authors review and proofread this document, a document creation tool used by the plurality of authors is As shown in FIG. 21, it was limited to the same thing (TOOL A). The present invention is
The purpose is to provide a document creation method that allows you to participate in collaborative document creation from the document creation tool you normally use.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the conventional document creating apparatus prepares a table of term conversion patterns to unify similar terms used in the document text so that the editor can edit them at the proofreading stage. It was limited to editing in bulk. An object of the present invention is to provide a document creation method that automatically creates a collaborative document with an index and a glossary by integrating documents created by individual authors and individually specified index items.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the conventional processing method has no management mechanism for reviewers, review deadlines, review schedules, access rights, security checks, progress status, etc. It is impossible for people to use the system efficiently at the same time,
In addition, the function to collect information through communication between clients to support decision making is insufficient, and it is difficult to manage comments when many comments are pasted. There are many problems. Originally, the purpose of pasting comments is not always to revise the document. Although comments are attached for the purpose of soliciting opinions and gathering information to support decision-making, they only consider the framework of comments for the purpose of revision, and therefore There is a problem in that the opinions cannot be expressed in the framework of the provided comments, and the management of the comment processing is largely dependent on humans. Furthermore, there is a problem that it is difficult to appropriately refer to the history of the process of collecting information based on the review and revising the document, and to return to a certain point in the past. In view of such a problem, the present invention manages a review schedule, a reviewer, an access right, a security check, a document version, a progress status, and further, various procedures for collecting information for review or decision making. In other words, a task is an object that has both data and procedures, especially it is called a comment here. By preparing multiple generic comments that are unique to this task and do not depend on the domain, you can refer to the review processing history as needed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a document review support method capable of realizing quick and accurate processing of reviews and collecting information for supporting decision making.

Further, in the conventional information processing apparatus, the description ability of the electronic mail in the rule and pattern matching is low, and it is difficult to analyze the mail text using the rule and execute the desired processing. Further, in the current electronic mail system, (1) many topics are intermingled. (2) When a large number of mails are generated, they pass each other due to missed reading. (3) It is difficult to transmit effective information because the email containing the notification or work instruction is buried in the pile of emails. There are problems such as. In view of the above problems, the present invention enhances the description capability of pattern matching between the body of an email and a rule, enhances the ability of a folder that stores classified emails, and further enables a procedure that can be started from within the folder. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing method capable of easily describing.

[0010]

A document creating system according to the first invention has the following elements. (A) a client having at least the following elements,
(A1) a document composition processing unit that processes information for composing a document; (a2) a document processing unit that creates a document using the information processed by the document composition processing unit; (b) at least the following elements Server having, (b1)
An integration processing unit that integrates a plurality of documents created by the client, (b2) a review processing unit that performs a process of reviewing the created document and a comment of a review result, (b3) a document processing unit, a review process Department, a management processing unit that manages the progress of the integration processing unit,

The document creating system according to the second invention has the following elements. (A) A client having the following elements, (a1) a document creating means for creating a document in an arbitrary document format by an arbitrary document creating tool, (a2) a transmitting means for transmitting a document to and from a server via a network. (B) a server having the following elements, (b1) a transmission means for transmitting a document to and from a client via a network, (b2) a storage for storing information on a document format based on a document creation tool used by the client means,
(B3) Document conversion means for converting a document between a document format based on the document creation tool used by the client based on the information stored in the storage means and a unified document format, (b4) unified document A document integration method that integrates documents in a format.

The document creating apparatus according to the third invention has the following elements. (A) Term extraction means for extracting a predetermined term from a plurality of documents; (b) Term conversion means for comparing and examining the terms extracted by the term extraction means; and (c) Term conversion means for conversion. A document editing means for editing a document based on the term.

In the document review support system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a client and a server on the network have any of the following elements. By (a) a review requesting unit that requests another device to review the created document, (b) a reviewing unit that reviews the document based on a review request from another device and creates a comment, and (c) a reviewing unit. A comment processing unit that processes a comment based on the created comment.

The document review support system according to the fifth invention has the following elements. (A) Review means for generating a comment including the procedure, and (b) Comment processing means for processing the comment by executing the comment procedure.

The document review support system according to the sixth invention has the following elements. (A) a knowledge base section that stores a plurality of types of comments and processing procedures corresponding to the types; (b) a review section that creates comments by designating at least one of the comment types; and (c) created A comment processing unit that executes the corresponding processing procedure stored in the knowledge base unit based on the type specified in the comment.

The information processing system according to the seventh invention has the following elements. (A) A folder that receives and holds information having a predetermined identifier and a value corresponding to the identifier, (b) a procedure storage unit that stores a procedure corresponding to the predetermined identifier, (c) information held in the folder A procedure execution unit that analyzes the identifier of and executes the corresponding procedure in the procedure storage unit.

The information processing system according to the eighth invention has the following elements. (A) A folder that receives and holds mail information having a predetermined identifier and a value corresponding to the identifier, (b) a rule storage unit that creates and stores a rule, and (c) a folder based on the rule. An analysis execution unit that analyzes the identifier and value of the mail information stored in, and executes the rule to be executed according to the result.

[0018]

In the first aspect of the invention, since the management processing unit manages the progress, the progress management of the document creation / review process by the group, the version management in each process created by each person in charge, and the comment pasting / processing. By systematizing notifications, etc., the efficiency of the coordination work between the persons in charge within the group work can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the document conversion means converts each document format into the standard format based on the information about each document format stored in the storage means. Can be used.

In the third aspect of the invention, since the term converting means unifies the terms such as the index terms extracted by the term extracting means, the document can be created with the unified terms.

In the fourth invention, the progress management function based on the review schedule and the review by a large number of people are possible based on the three modes of review request, review, and comment processing, and the comments of each person in charge through mutual review. Can be opened at any time, and the comment processing result can be reflected in the document to improve the quality of the document description content.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the comment includes the procedure, it is possible to proceed with the work in which the comment is required by executing the procedure.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an effective review process by providing a comment type (comment type) suitable for actual work.

In the seventh invention, since the procedure corresponding to the identifier is executed from the identifier of the information and its value,
Automatic processing can be performed on the received information.

In the eighth invention, the mail is analyzed based on the rule, and the procedure of the rule is executed under a predetermined condition, so that complicated processing can be automatically executed.

[0026]

【Example】

Example 1. Based on FIG. 1, the outline of a system that allows asynchronous and cooperative document creation and mutual review will be described below. First, the basic functions of this system are shown below. (1) Integration function Document segments (memo) created by each client of the group are integrated as one document, and then displayed and printed. -Registration of document configuration information-Memo processing (creation, move, merge operations, etc.)-Input, display, and printing of standard documents-Formatting output (automatic paging, etc.), etc. Each client can create an asynchronous distributed collaborative document via the network. (2) Review support function Mutual review of memos or integrated documents by a large number of people using a network environment is possible. For that purpose, the following review support function is used.・ Review request (target document, reviewer, specification of review deadline) ・ Review (commenting of comments, etc.) ・ Comment processing (notification of comment reflection, etc.) (3) Management function Division of work in collaborative document preparation work, document preparation, review, revision In order to systematize a series of document creation progress management such as registration, distribution, etc., the following management functions are realized. -Registration of creation client / server-Instruction of creation sharing / review / correction-Notification of completion-Process table creation-Version management (memo / integrated document) These allow progress management in collaborative document creation / review work, and document Revision history can be managed.

The features of this system are as follows. (1) Systematization of review support function Comment management function (commenting of comments, automatic notification of comment processing, etc.), review / scheduling function,
And the review support function such as the review progress management function is systematized. Further, when attaching a comment, the comment type (opinion, question, correction instruction, supplementary explanation, etc.) and the comment message of the processing mode (normal or urgent) can be easily selected. (2) Utilization of document segment as information resource By using the memo created by each client and the shared document segment registration database, it is possible to reuse each memo. By making such a document segment an information resource, each client can proceed with the document creation work while sharing the document information. (3) Document creation by top-down / bottom-up method First, register the document configuration information, and decide not to share the creation of each client. It is also possible to create a document in a bottom-up method in which the document structure is allocated (Fig. 2). The document configuration information can be changed at any time, and the document can be easily reconfigured by appropriately moving the memo. (4) Reviewing existing documents Not only can new documents be created by this system, but existing documents created by other document tools can be imported into this system and reviewed. Furthermore, it enables new input using other document tools in this system.

Further, the features of the document to which the present system is applicable include the following. (1) Documents created by pre-assignment among multiple clients (2) Documents submitted by consensus (3) Documents requesting review / comment from multiple clients (4) Including document segments that are frequently reused The following are examples of specific documents that have the characteristics listed above.・ Various reports, various specifications ・ Management department report documents ・ Idea proposals, planning documents

An embodiment of the first invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional schematic configuration of the embodiment. This document creation method includes a document configuration processing unit 1, a memo processing unit 2, an integration processing unit 3, a review processing unit 4, a document segment processing unit 5, a management processing unit 6, a document processing unit 7, and a document creation support processing unit 8. It is composed of

The document configuration processing unit 1 is composed of a creation client management unit 10, a document configuration information processing unit 11, a document creation environment processing unit 12, and a standard document processing unit 13. The creation client management unit 10 registers items such as the client name, user ID, password, job title, department abbreviation, and access right.

The document structure information processing unit 11 creates and modifies information related to the document structure, namely, creation of document structure information when creating a new document (registration of document name, item name, memo name, etc.,・ Registration of document attribute information) ・ Correction of information related to document structure (correction of document name, deletion of document name, correction of item name, addition of item name, deletion of item name,
Move item name, modify memo name, add memo name, delete memo name, move memo name) ・ Display / print information about document structure ・ Browsing the whole structure of document structure ・ Document structure items Display only the name, ・ Display / print / register the entire contents of the document.

The document creation environment processing section 12 carries out a process related to environment setting when creating a document. That is, it controls the document creation client, changes the server settings, controls access rights, and controls commenting rights. The access rights handled here are read rights,
The right to write, the right to register the client, the right to set the access right, and the like are conceivable. The read right is an authority to refer to the content of the document. In addition, since there may be a part that includes information that cannot be made public, such as the amount of money and the evaluation, it is possible to control the position according to the document structure. That is, in order to actually refer to or cite a certain part in the document, not only the read right is given, but also the citation for the part must be permitted. The right to write is a right to change the contents of a document, and its target can be the entire document, items, or memos. Further, as an operation targeting the entire document, a "delete" operation can be considered, but there are "set" and "delete" operations for items and memos. Furthermore, there is also an "edit" operation for memos.
The effects of these operations on the document are as follows: (1) "Setting" does not change existing ones. (2) "Delete" erases an existing one. (3) "Edit" changes the contents of an existing one. Further, since these operations have different influences on the document, it is possible to separately set the authority.
Further, it is possible to control by the place on the sentence structure. That is, in order to actually set / delete / edit a certain target in a document, not only the setting right / deletion right / editing right is given, but further setting / deletion / editing to that target
Editing must be allowed. The client registration right is the right to set the document attribute, and is usually possessed by the creator of the document configuration, and can be confiscated by the document configuration creator. The access right setting right is a right to set these rights, and is usually possessed by the creator of the document structure, and cannot be confiscated by the creator of the document structure.

The standard document processing section 13 includes a standard format input editor section 21, a standard format display section 22, a standard format printing section 23, and a standard format storage section 2.
It is composed of 4.

In the memo processing unit 2, the "memo" to be processed includes a memo belonging to a document and a private memo not belonging to the document.
It is composed of the memo content processing unit 32. Memo composition processing unit 3
At 1, a process of creating and correcting information about a memo is performed. For example, the information regarding the memo may be a memo name, a memo file name, a memo creator name, a memo creation date, or the like.
Further, the memo name is corrected, deleted, or moved. In the memo content processing unit 32, memo content creation, selection, correction, editing,
Delete, move, copy, split, combine, print, display, register,
Performs processing such as version management.

The integration processing unit 3 integrates the document segments (memo) created by the clients of the group as one document, and then displays and prints them, and also creates an index, a chart list, etc. Create.

The review processing unit 4 makes a mutual review by a large number of people using a network environment for a memo or an integrated document, -review request (target document, reviewer, review deadline designation),-review (commenting of comments, etc.) , ・ Use the review support function such as comment processing (comment reflection notification, etc.). These review support functions include the comment management processing unit 41 (comment attachment, automatic notification of comment processing, etc.)
It is composed of a scheduling processing unit 42 and a review progress management processing unit 43. Further, the comment management processing unit 41 selects the comment type (opinion, question, correction instruction, supplementary explanation, etc.) and the comment message of the processing mode (normal or urgent) when attaching the comment.

The document segment processing unit 5 registers and stores the document segment created by each client in the database, and realizes search / reuse in memo unit or item unit.

The management processing unit 6 performs a series of document creation progress management such as work sharing, document creation, review, revision, registration, and distribution in cooperative document creation work. In other words, ・ Registration of creation client / server ・ Instruction of creation sharing / review / correction / completion notification ・ Create process schedule ・ Version management (memo, integrated document), etc. It manages the progress and the revision history of documents.

The document processing unit 7 creates, corrects, and edits a document.

The document creation support processing unit 8 refers to related terms / related materials when creating a document and unifies terms when integrating document segments. The configuration of the method has been described above.

Next, the operation of the method will be described. First, the document configuration processing unit 1 registers the document configuration information, then assigns the work share and sets the creation date. As a result, the management processing unit 6 starts progress management based on the document configuration information. That is, the electronic mail is automatically selected and sent to the server or the client based on the document creation deadline and the achievement rate of the target document creation. The client refers to the related terms / related materials in the document creation support processing unit 8 and refers to the document segment created in the past using the document segment processing unit 5, and assigns the assigned memo to the memo processing unit. 2 and the document processing section 7 uses a suitable word processor to create a document. Also, the shared memo is created while utilizing the private memo, that is, the memo not registered in the document configuration information. The client appropriately reports the progress of document creation to the management processing unit 6. The server can grasp the progress status of the work of each person in charge by making an inquiry to the management processing unit 6. Further, the server can use the management processing unit 6 to appropriately send an e-mail to each person in charge to instruct the work. Further, each person in charge can request the reviewer to review the created document and revise or revise the created document in the review processing section 4. Review / Scheduling Processing Unit 42
A review request unit (not shown) therein sets a review request document, a reviewer, and a review deadline, and requests a review by instructing a review request. When a review request is made, the review progress management processing unit 43
Starts the progress management of the review based on the review schedule and sends a review request notification to the reviewer. The review is performed by a review unit (not shown) in the review / scheduling processing unit 42. For review, select an appropriate comment type from the already prepared comment types, then select the comment message and comment processing mode (Urgent, Normal),
This is performed by creating a comment text using the document processing unit 7, designating a comment pasting area in the review target document, and pasting the comment in the designated area. When the comment is pasted, a comment pasting notice is automatically sent to the comment processing client. When the review is completed, the review progress management processing unit 43 sends a review end notification to the review requester. The comment processing client having received the comment attachment notification executes the comment processing with reference to the comment instruction. When the comment processing is completed, the review progress management processing unit 43 sends a comment processing completion notice to the comment pasting person.

In the server, the integration processing unit 3 integrates the memos created by the persons in charge based on the document configuration information, and creates the desired document while moving the memos. It is also possible to first create a memo and then create document configuration information to integrate the memo.

As described above, in this embodiment, the clients who share the writing work by using the document segment integration functions such as the registration of the document configuration information, the memo processing, the input / display / print of the standard document, and the formatted output. A means for performing asynchronous distributed collaborative document creation via the network and mutual review by a large number of people using the network environment, that is,
Using various functions such as review request, review, comment processing, etc., a means for supporting the review of memos or integrated documents, registration of creation client / server, creation sharing /
Using functions such as review / correction instruction / completion notification, process table creation, version management, progress management in collaborative document creation / review work, and document revision history management,
The document preparation method has been described, which is provided with means for managing a series of document preparation progress such as division of work in collaborative document preparation work, document preparation, review, revision, registration, and distribution. And this example attaches a comment,
A comment management function that manages automatic notification of comment processing, a review / scheduling function, and a review support function such as a review progress management function are provided.When a comment is attached, the comment type (opinion, question, correction instruction, (Supplementary explanation, etc.), a mechanism that allows you to easily select the comment message of the processing mode (normal, urgent),
The document segments created by each client are made into a database, the document segments are made available as an information resource by allowing them to be reused, and the means for creating a document while sharing the document information and the document configuration information are changed at any time. By moving the memos as appropriate, it is easy to restructure the document, register the document structure information and decide the work share of each client, and create the document in the top-down method, and after stacking the memos It has a bottom-up document creation means for allocating the document structure and means for not only creating new documents in this system, but also importing existing documents created by other document tools into this system and reviewing them. It is characterized by In this embodiment, both the client and the server have the configuration shown in FIG. 3, but the client has at least the document configuration processing unit 1, the document processing unit 7, and the review processing unit 4, The server may have at least the integration processing unit 3 and the management processing unit 6.

Example 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the document creation method according to the second invention, which is obtained by adding a document conversion means 641 and an author use document creation tool storage means 642 to the FIG. 21 explained in the prior art. is there. The document conversion means 641 is means for converting a document created by a word processor having the document format B into the standard document format A, and the author use document creation tool storage means 642 uses the word processor A as an example. It is a means to remember whether you are using word processor B,
It is something that is registered in advance by some method.
Multiple authors send documents created by the document tools they are using to the collaborative document creation server, and the server changes the document format to a standard format according to the stored information. After the review, the reverse is done and the document is converted into the document format used by the author and the integrated document is sent.

As described above, in this embodiment, different document creating means for creating a document in an asynchronous distributed environment via a network and a document created by a different document creating means are sent to the document converting means via the network. Or a transmission means for sending the document output from the document conversion means to the instructed document creation means, a document conversion means for converting the document formed in the standard format into a different format, and created by each client. A document integration tool that integrates the created documents and a document creation tool that is used by the author to store the document creation tool that the author uses. A storage means, a document format conversion, document integration, and a document creation tool that the author uses The document creation method has been described, which comprises a control means for controlling execution of processing such as automatic startup of the document. According to this embodiment, the author can participate in the collaborative document creation by using the document creation tool that he or she normally uses, so that it is not necessary to master a new document creation tool.
Document creation efficiency is improved.

In this embodiment, the case in which the name of the document creation tool used by the author is stored is shown. However, the name of the document creation tool used by the author need not be stored, and the name of the document format created by the tool may be used. Good. Alternatively, the identifier for identifying the tool or the format may be stored.

Example 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the document creating method according to the third invention. In FIG. 22 described in the prior art, an index item integrating means 651, a term converting means 652 using a thesaurus database, an index, A document editing means 653 for generating a glossary is added. The index item integrating means 651 is a means for integrating index items designated by a plurality of authors into one index item table. Further, the term conversion means 652 is a conversion means for unifying the terms in the document by utilizing the shared thesaurus database, and holds not only the term conversion pattern but also the term explanation in the database. The document editing means 653 is means for automatically generating a collaborative document with an index and a glossary. When a plurality of authors specify a document created by themselves and index items and send them to the collaborative document creation server, an index item table in which those index items are integrated is generated. While using the thesaurus database, similar terms in the integrated document are converted into the same terms, and the index item table is used to collect index data (item name, occurrence location) and terminology information to collaborate documents. create.

As described above, in this embodiment, the transmission means for transmitting the documents created in the distributed environment via the network, the document integration means for integrating the documents created by each client, and the plurality of authors specify. An index item integrating means for integrating the index items as one index item table, and a term converting means for unifying the terms in the document by using a shared thesaurus database that holds the term conversion patterns and term explanations. , A document creating method characterized by comprising a document editing means for automatically generating a collaborative document with an index and a glossary. According to this embodiment, it is not necessary for the proofreader to unify terms and identify index items to integrate documents from multiple authors to create one document, and the efficiency of collaborative document creation and editing is improved. improves.

In the above embodiment, the index item integrating means 651 for integrating the index items extracted in advance is shown as an example, but the index items may not be extracted in advance, and the index items may be extracted from a plurality of documents. Any extraction means capable of extraction is sufficient. Further, the term to be extracted is not limited to the index, and may be a found item, a table of contents item, a specific technical term, or a predetermined term such as kana characters or English characters. In addition to the word, this term may be a phrase, a section, or a sentence.

Example 4. When a document is created or revised by a group, it is necessary for the client of the group to share and create the document to be reviewed among the clients.
The systematic support and management of a series of review work, in which a document created by another client is critiqued as a comment, the comment is reviewed, and then reflected in the document, is provided by multiple clients via a network. It is an indispensable function to efficiently create and revise documents. In Example 4, (1) comment attachment, (2) import of schedule such as review deadline, (3) review notification, various notifications such as comment attachment, and (4) execution of comment reflection and management are automatically performed. This paper describes a document review support method for communication based on electronic mail function in a distributed environment.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the review work was analyzed, it was found that it was classified into a plurality of work patterns.
By using these multiple work patterns as comment types, the processing of each comment type will be clarified and typified and defined as a generic comment that does not depend on the domain. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a generic comment, and the comment contains procedures 1 to n in addition to the data and the internal state. The fact that the generic comment contains a procedure other than simple data in this way is a feature of this embodiment, and the generic comment forms a so-called instance. Therefore, the generic comment inherits the attributes of the class not shown here as an instance. As this procedure, the comment includes the procedure to be executed next, and the comment procedure can be programmed to prompt the reviewer or comment processor what to do next. ing. Therefore, it is possible for the comment to voluntarily instruct the worker to perform the next work based on the information such as deadline management, scheduling, destination, and entry items.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the review work is classified from another viewpoint, (1) review request and (2)
It was found that it can be divided into review (comment attachment) and (3) comment processing for processing the attached comment.

This document review support system is conceived based on the above work analysis, and has a design policy as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the design policy will be described with reference to FIG. (1) Providing a basic comment type A generic comment that is a basic comment that has the property of not depending on the domain, that is, a basic comment that has various procedures related to review work.
Prepare the type and the reviewer
The review can be executed by selecting an appropriate comment type from the comments and attaching the comment.
In addition, the comment processing client executes the processing of the attached comments in accordance with the instruction from the system, reflects the comment contents in the document, and collects information for the reviewer to make a decision. Support. (2) Providing an effective communication function Creating a schedule from attaching comments to reflecting them,
Assists in setting the distribution of reviewers. In addition, based on the schedule created by the review requester, the progress status of the processing related to the review is managed for each comment, the current processing status is grasped, and the review processing is facilitated by expanding the function of the e-mail system. Performs processing related to various types of notifications aimed at communication to support the execution.

Next, an outline of the document review support system will be described. This system consists of a review request mode, a review mode, and a comment processing mode. Furthermore, the manager performs integrated management of documents and comments. FIG. 9 shows a processing flow of this review support method. (1) Review request mode When a target document, a reviewer, and a review schedule are designated, a review request is automatically made. (2) Review mode When a review is requested, an email requesting the review is sent to the reviewer. When the reviewer specifies “review”, the user remotely logs in to the server and the document to be reviewed is displayed on the window. Therefore, the review is executed by selecting the comment type and attaching the comment describing the message. When the comment is pasted, a comment pasting notice is automatically sent to the review requester and the comment processing client. Similar comments can be attached to comments. In this method, the following comment types are prepared. Comments about these comment types, such as by emailing a warning message, such as sending a notification or reply to a question that the specified client has read the comment by the specified deadline. It manages the progress of processing. 1) Opinion type This is for notifying a message, and is a comment for notifying the client of the opinion of the reviewer, that is, the intention of confirmation, instruction, and approval. 2) Question type This is a comment for asking a specified client a question, returning the reply by e-mail, and managing the reply. These comments are attached for the purpose of gathering information such as questions for better understanding the contents of the document, grasping the current situation, and investigating the causes, mainly asking for information necessary to support decision making. It is also possible for the document creator himself / herself to affix this type of comment to collect information that serves as a reference for document creation. 3) Correction instruction type Abstract correction is given to a document, or concrete correction plans are illustrated to instruct correction (addition, deletion, replacement) of the text, and the process leading to the correction instruction is managed. It is a comment for. If you agree with the specific revision plan, you can automatically replace the text. 4) Supplementary explanation type This is a comment for supplementary explanation that includes commentary text, attached materials, etc. so that the content of the main body can be better understood. 5) Instruction type This is a comment for giving a work instruction to the specified client or author. (3) Comment processing mode When a comment is pasted, a comment pasting notice is automatically sent to the related persons via e-mail. On the workstation (WS) of the concerned client, the comments are stored in folders prepared for each comment type. A person who is requested to process a comment selects a comment in this folder and specifies "comment processing" for the comment.
Since the work instruction is displayed, the comment processing is performed according to the work instruction. When the comment processing is completed, a comment processed notification is automatically sent to the reviewer and the manager. To the comment processing client that does not send the comment processing completion notification, an electronic mail urging the comment processing to be executed early is automatically sent.

An embodiment of the fourth, fifth and sixth inventions will be described below. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the document review support device of the present invention and showing essential parts of basic functions. FIG. 11 is a basic configuration diagram of the system. This review support system includes a review request unit 101 and a review unit 10 that also have a user interface.
2. Comment processing unit 103, display unit 104, management unit 105 that internally supports these functions, knowledge base unit (comment type storage procedure storage unit for comment) 106, comment database unit 107, document database unit 108
It is composed of

The review request unit 101 selects a document to be submitted for a review request, sets a reviewer and a review schedule, and stores the selected document as ancillary information (referred to as an instance) in the review request folder. Input unit 20 for inputting into the instance storage unit 203
1, a message sending unit 205 that selects an instance, requests a review to the selected instance, and sends a message for confirming the review status, and an instance storage unit that stores the instance created by the input unit 201 The review request folder 202 includes a procedure execution unit 204 that decodes and executes a message 203 and a message to be given to the instance.

The review unit 102 includes a storage unit 303 including an instance storage unit 305 for storing a review request instance for notifying a review request and an electronic mail storage unit 306 for storing electronic mails such as warning messages,
A review folder 301 including a procedure execution unit 302 for decoding and executing a message given to an instance,
It comprises a message sending unit 304 for selecting a review request instance and sending a message to that instance.

The comment processing unit 103 stores the comment pasting notification instance and the procedure execution unit 40 that decodes and executes the message given to the instance.
The comment processing folder 401 is composed of 2 and a message sending unit 404 for selecting an instance and sending a message to the instance. The storage unit 403 includes an instance storage unit 405 that stores a comment pasting notification instance and an electronic mail storage unit 406 that stores an electronic mail such as a warning message. The display unit 104 is for confirming the document requested for review, the review status, and the comment processing status.

The management unit 105 comprises a review schedule management unit 109 and a comment management unit 110. The review schedule management unit 109 sends an e-mail such as a warning message, sends a review request notification according to the schedule, and sets whether to attach a comment to the document to be reviewed, based on the review / comment processing schedule. A progress management unit 501 for performing progress management and a database unit 502 for storing a review schedule. The comment management unit 110 performs processing regarding registration / storage / retrieval of comments in the comment database unit 107, management of unprocessed / processed comments, and inquiry about the progress status of comment processing from the user.

The knowledge base unit 106 is a comment type-based processing procedure storage unit. Comment database section 1
07 is a place for storing the attached comment data. The document database unit 108 is for storing the document for which a review request has been made and what has been comment-processed.

Next, the review support processing procedure in this method executed by using the above processing functions will be described separately for review request, review, and comment processing. For the review request, first, the input unit 201 opens a review request window, and in this window, a document for which a review is requested is selected and registered in the review request window. Then, a reviewer and a review schedule are set for the selected document and an instance is created. The created instance is iconized and displayed on the review request window. When a message “review request” is given to this iconified instance, this instance is stored in the instance storage unit 203 of the review request folder 202. Then, the procedure execution unit 2 in the review request folder 202
The instance is divided into a document and a review schedule by 04. The document is stored in the document database unit 108 on the review server, and the review schedule is stored in the database unit 502. Next, the progress management unit 501 of the review schedule management unit 109 changes the database unit 502.
Send a review request notice to each reviewer while referring to the review schedule in. Review request notification,
Review folder 301 as a review instance
Is stored in the storage unit 303. For the review, when a review instance is selected from the storage unit 303 of the review folder 301 and a message “Review” is given, the procedure execution unit 302 is activated to log in remotely to the review server, and the document to be reviewed is displayed on the window. It is displayed and the comment can be attached. At this time, the reviewer displays the comments posted by the other person on the display unit 10.
It can be referred to by using 4. 12
Is a diagram for explaining an example of comment pasting. First, specify the comment pasting area, select the comment type, then select the comment message type, and enter information such as reviewers and review deadlines. Enter the text, set the comment processing mode (normal or urgent), and describe the comment text. This comment is the comment database section 107.
Stored in. The comment pasting process is executed by giving the message "paste" to this comment. Then, the comment pasting notification is sent to the comment management unit 11
0 sends it to the comment processing client. This comment pasting notification is stored in the storage unit 403 of the comment processing folder 401 as a comment processing instance.
Stored in. It is also possible to attach a comment to the comment. The comment processing client
Select a comment processing instance from the storage unit 403 of the comment processing folder 401 and click "Comment processing".
Message is displayed, the document and the contents of the comment are displayed on the window, the processing status of the current comment is displayed, and the next work instruction is displayed. The comment processing client executes the comment processing according to this work instruction. When the comment processing is completed, a comment processed notification is sent to the comment paster and the comment management unit 110.

For example, when an opinion type comment is pasted, the comment is sent as a notice of pasting the comment, and after registering in the comment database section, the comment read aggregation management is started immediately and the comment processing client reads the comment read. I am waiting for your notification. Then, when the comment read notification of the comment processing client is sent, the comment sends the comment read notification to the comment paster and the comment management unit 110. Then, when the read notices of all the comment processing clients are sent, the comment processing completion notifications are sent to the comment pasting person and the comment management unit 110 and managed as processed comments. FIG. 13 shows an example of the opinion type.
Reference numeral 601 denotes the flow of processing performed by the reviewer, that is, the comment paster. Reference numeral 602 denotes the knowledge base unit 106.
This is the procedure for comments stored in. 603 is
This is the processing performed by the comment processing client. Since the comment retains the internal state, if a message with the content of "Confirm the current processing status" is given to the comment when the comment read total is being managed, the comment read notification wait The status display such as is displayed. At the same time, it is possible to confirm the comment processing client that has sent the read notification.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a question type. Procedures 1 to 6 are included in a generic comment of a question type so that the question type is processed according to the flow shown in the figure. Become.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, how to define the comment type may be defined according to the specifications considered necessary for the work of the review process. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

As described above, in this embodiment, a scheduler for creating a review schedule, managing the review schedule, and managing the progress, and reviewers, access rights, security checks, document version management, and review process progress management are provided. It has a manager to perform, and a data management mechanism that stores and manages the review schedule and the type of comments, selects the document to be submitted to the review request, adds the accompanying information of the reviewer and the review schedule, and requests the review. Reviewing means 102 for performing a review based on the requesting means 101 and a plurality of comment types and attaching a comment
And a comment processing unit 103 based on the comment type-based processing procedure, and a comment database 107 that stores the comment type-based processing procedure and the attached comment.
And management means 105 for managing the progress of the review schedule and the processing procedure of comments and the sending of various notification documents.
The document review support method characterized in that

An embodiment of the seventh and eighth inventions will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of the information processing system of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing the essential parts of the specific functions. This information processing method includes a mail reception folder 701, a mail analysis execution unit 704, a mail storage unit 70.
9, a rule creation unit 716, and a procedure storage unit 717.

The mail reception folder 701 includes a storage unit 703 and a storage unit 70 for storing the sent electronic mail.
3 includes a procedure execution unit 702 that executes a procedure with reference to a class in which a procedure for processing an electronic mail stored in the item 3 is described.

The mail analysis execution unit 704 receives the data sent from the mail reception folder 701 and searches the network-type instantiation creation unit 707 and the mail reception folder 701.
A conflict set storage unit 706 that stores an executable rule group (referred to as an instantiation) that also has the data sent from it; a rule execution unit 705 that executes the rules stored in the conflict set storage unit 706; The network initialization unit 708 is configured to put the type instantiation creating unit 707 into a data receiving state (to initialize the network).

The mail storage unit 709 is composed of a collection of folders for storing electronic mail. The folder 711 for storing electronic mail is composed of a storage unit 712 for storing electronic mail and a procedure execution unit 710.

The rule creating section 716 includes a rule editor section 715 for the user to create a rule and the created rule,
That is, a production rule storage unit 714 that stores production rules, and a network-type instantiation creation unit 70 that compiles the created production rules to speed up extraction of executable rules.
7 is composed of a rule compiler unit 713 that creates the data item 7. This production rule analyzes the contents of the mail, specifies the folder to store the mail, and executes the procedure.

The procedure storage unit 717 stores procedures that can be executed only in each folder in a hierarchical structure.

The folders 701 and 711 are composed of storage units 703 and 712 for storing electronic mails and execution units 702 and 710 of procedures inherited by the folders.
The procedures handled by the execution units 702 and 710 are the procedure storage unit 71.
It can be set by specifying the class name stored in 7.

FIG. 16 shows a description format of electronic mail. Further, FIG. 17 shows a specific description example of an electronic mail. (A) shows the case of normal mail format, (b) shows the case where the content of the mail is a program name and its source code, and (c) shows the case where the content of the mail is a set of procedure name, data and class name. ing. The electronic mail is constructed by describing a pair (slot name: slot value).
The data sent from the folder 701 to the mail analysis execution unit 704 can be set in a slot name / slot value pair, that is, in slot units. At the same time, each slot in the electronic mail can be set to be sent as data to the mail analysis execution unit 704 or not.

FIG. 18 is a description example of a production rule described by using the rule editor section 715. Figure 1
9 shows the operation of slots and production rules. If the slots (slot name 1, slot value 1) and (slot name 2, slot value 2) are described in the email, this rule becomes an executable rule and is stored in the conflict set storage unit 706. . Executing the rule means executing the list described in the then part.

FIG. 20 shows an example of the configuration of the procedure storage unit 717. The procedure storage unit 717 is composed of a group of classes 1001. The class 1001 includes a superclass setting unit 1002, a procedure storage unit 1003, and a static data storage unit 1004.
The static data storage unit 1004 stores declarative data in the format of slot name: slot value.
Then, the procedure or static data stored in the superclass described in the superclass setting unit 1002 can be referred to.

Next, the flow of processing of the information processing apparatus executed using the above functions will be described. First, when an electronic mail is sent, it is stored in the storage unit 703 of the mail reception folder 701. At the same time when the electronic mail is stored, the procedure execution unit 702 is activated, analyzes the content of the email, and activates the procedure according to the instruction of the email. The substance of the procedure is the class name stored in the procedure execution unit or the procedure storage unit 71 corresponding to its superclass.
It is stored in 7. What is the analysis of the contents of the mail here? The slot name of the mail body is searched for the slot name of the slot name: slot value, that is, if the slot name registered in the procedure execution unit 702 is found, the slot is found. Analyze the fact that the procedure is activated from the name and slot value.

Next, when the network type instantiation creating unit 707 is in a data input waiting state, the slot name: slot value to be input as data to the network type instantiation creating unit 707 is extracted from the slot of the mail body. Input to the network instantiation creating unit 707. The network instantiation creating unit 707 searches for a rule having a condition part that satisfies the input slot name: slot value, and if there is a variable, inputs the value to the variable. Collation processing is performed for all slots. As a result, a rule in which all the condition parts of the rule match the slot (instantiation)
Are stored in the conflict set storage unit 706. The matching process between the slot and the rule condition part is performed using the network constructed by the rule compiler part 713.

The matching process will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that all the slots of the electronic mail 601 in FIG. 19 are input as data to the network type instantiation creating unit 707. Further, it is assumed that two rules (1) and (2) are stored. First, when the slot (A: B) is input to the network type instantiation creating unit 707, it is checked whether or not there is a condition part of the rule that matches the slot. In the condition part (A F) of the rule (1) and the slot (A: B), the slot name A matches, but F ≠ B
Since the slot values do not match, they do not match the condition part of this rule. (A in the condition part of rule (2)
B) and the slot (A B) match, and the condition part (AB) of this rule and the slot (A B) match. Similarly, the slot (E: F) also matches the condition part of the rule (2). From the above, it means that the slots that satisfy all the condition parts of rule (2) have been input.
The rule (2) is stored in the conflict set storage unit 706, and the rule execution unit 705 executes the rule.

All instantiations (rules + slots) stored in the conflict set storage unit 706 are executed. In the rule execution unit 705, the rule t
The procedure described in the hen section is executed. You can launch programs stored in the hard disk of your workstation and bring back the results, or search and register the data that accessed the database. It is also possible to specify the folder for storing the mail. In addition, it is possible to set the environment of the user-friendly system by the instruction of the mail.

When the processing of the network type instantiation creating unit 707 is completed and the input slot of the mail is empty, the network initialization unit 708 is activated to initialize the network and input the next slot of the electronic mail. wait.

By the way, the electronic mail is stored in the predetermined folder 711 depending on the instruction of the then part of the rule. When the electronic mail is stored in the folder, the contents of the electronic mail, that is, the slot is checked, and if there is a match, the procedure is started. Furthermore, it is possible to activate the procedure by giving a message valid only in this folder to the mail in this folder.

The rules are created by the rule editor section 715, and the created rules are stored in the production rule storage section 7
14 is stored. The rule compiler unit 713 compiles rules to generate a network for creating an instantiation. This compiler is an incremental compiler, and if one rule is to be added, only that rule is applied to the compiler and added to the network. The same applies to deletion. In addition, since writing can be set for each slot, it is possible to avoid the risk of data being swapped during circulation of a mail. Furthermore, by describing the circulation schedule in the mail slot, the mail is stored in the circulation-only folder and the circulation of the mail can be realized automatically. It is also possible to set access rights to slots.

As described above, in this embodiment, the folder means 701 that accepts an electronic mail and holds and analyzes the contents of the mail text, and the procedure registered in the procedure storage unit 717 by simply describing the class name in the mail are stored in the folder. A procedure execution unit 702 that can be used in, a unit 704 that analyzes the mail body by a rule to classify the mail and automatically executes complicated work based on the rule, and a folder that stores the mail according to the rule instruction. Means 70
The information processing method is characterized by including the following items. In addition, this information processing method performs preprocessing of e-mail, a mail reception folder 701 that performs data filtering for rule and collation processing, and mail analysis using the aforementioned data by a rule-based system to extract executable rules. Email analysis execution unit 70
4, a procedure storing section 717 for facilitating the addition of procedures to the folder for storing mails, and a rule creating section 716 for modifying the rules at any time.

According to this embodiment, first, the mail reception folder 701 is provided to filter the mail data for pattern matching with the condition part of the rule, and the network type instantiation creating part 707 is provided. The function of pattern matching is enhanced and the speed is improved by adding the message valid only in the folder to the mail stored in the procedure storage unit 717 in order to facilitate the procedure addition of the folder. Various processing can be realized. Furthermore, the circulation system of the document can be easily constructed by describing the circulation schedule in the slot of the mail body and registering the circulation processing procedure in one class of the procedure storage unit. In this way, by classifying mails by rules, it is easy to search for valid information, analyze the contents of the mails, and start necessary procedures.
By providing a procedure that is valid only for the emails in each folder that stores emails, operability can be improved and efficient review processing can be realized.

[0085]

As described above, according to the first invention, the comments of each person in charge are opened at any time through the mutual review by a large number of people, and the comment processing result is reflected in the document. The quality of can be improved. In addition, coordination between each person in charge within the group by systematically managing the progress of document creation / review process by group, version control of each process of memo created by each person in charge, and comment attachment / processing notification. Work efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, by sharing the document segment registration database and reusing the already-created document segment, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the document creation work in the group work.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the author can participate in collaborative document creation with the document creation tool that he or she usually uses, it is not necessary to master a new document creation tool, and the creation efficiency is improved. ..

Further, according to the third invention, it is not necessary for the proofreader to unify the terms in integrating the documents of a plurality of authors to create one document, and the efficiency of collaborative document editing is improved. improves.

According to the fourth, fifth and sixth inventions,
Revision of documents through reviews and collection of information can be systematically and effectively handled based on a single task of commenting. Then, the review and comment processing by a plurality of clients can be effectively performed without the annoyance of the related art.

Further, according to the seventh and eighth inventions, the classification of the mail can be freely changed only by rewriting the rule, and by analyzing the contents of the mail, complicated work with a high degree of freedom can be performed. It can be realized by sending. In addition, you can set the procedures that can be used in the folder in the mail storage section by simply describing the class names of various procedures registered in the procedure storage section, and you can also give a message to the mail in the folder. It is possible to realize desired processing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system conceptual diagram of a document creation system according to a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the features of the document creation method according to the first invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing essential parts of basic functions of an embodiment of a document creating system according to the first invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a document creation method according to a second invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a document creation system according to a third invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of work analysis of the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a generic comment in the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a design policy of a document review support system according to fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the process of the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing essential parts of basic functions of an embodiment of a document review support system according to fourth, fifth and sixth inventions.

FIG. 11 is a system basic configuration diagram of a document review support system according to fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining comment attachment in the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an opinion type comment of the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a question type comment of the document review support system according to the fourth, fifth, and sixth inventions.

FIG. 15 is a block configuration diagram showing essential parts of basic functions of an embodiment of the information processing apparatus according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a description format of an electronic mail of the information processing apparatus according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a specific example of an electronic mail of the information processing apparatus according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a description example of rules of the information processing apparatus according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a collation process of the information processing device according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a construction example of a procedure in a procedure storage unit of the information processing apparatus according to the seventh and eighth inventions.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a conventional document creation method.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a conventional document creation method.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a problem of the conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Document Configuration Processing Section 2 Memo Processing Section 3 Integration Processing Section 4 Review Processing Section 5 Document Segment Processing Section 6 Management Processing Section 7 Document Processing Section 8 Document Creation Support Processing Section 10 Creation Client Management Section 11 Document Configuration Information Processing Section 12 Documents Creation environment processing unit 13 Fixed document processing unit 21 Fixed format input editor unit 22 Fixed format display unit 23 Fixed format printing unit 24 Fixed format storage unit 31 Memo configuration processing unit 32 Memo content processing unit 41 Comment management processing unit 42 Review scheduling process Part 43 Review progress management processing part 101 Review request part 102 Review part 103 Comment processing part 104 Display part 105 Management part 106 Knowledge base part 107 Comment database part 108 Document database part 109 Review schedule Management unit 110 Comment management unit 201 Input unit 202 Review request folder 203 Instance storage unit 204 Procedure execution unit 205 Message transmission unit 301 Review folder 302 Procedure execution unit 303 Storage unit 304 Message transmission unit 305 Instance storage unit 306 E-mail storage unit 401 Comment Processing folder 402 Procedure execution unit 403 Storage unit 404 Message transmission unit 405 Instance storage unit 406 E-mail storage unit 501 Progress management unit 502 Database unit 701 Mail reception folder 702 Procedure execution unit 703 Storage unit 704 Mail analysis execution unit 705 Rule execution unit 706 Conflict set storage unit 707 Network instantiation creation unit 708 Network initialization unit 709 Mail Storage part 710 Procedure execution part 711 Folder 712 Storage part 713 Rule compiler part 714 Production rule storage part 715 Rule editor part 716 Rule creation part 717 Procedure storage part 901 E-mail description format 1001 Class 1002 Super class setting part 1003 Procedure storage part 1004 Static data storage

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 27, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 8

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, in the conventional information processing apparatus, the description ability of the electronic mail in the rule and pattern matching is low, and it is difficult to analyze the mail text using the rule and execute the desired processing. Further, in the current electronic mail system, (1) many topics are intermingled. (2) When a large number of mails are generated, they pass each other due to missed reading. (3) It is difficult to transmit effective information because the email containing the notification or work instruction is buried in the pile of emails. (4) Although it is a computerized utterance act,
Easy to use because the model has not been fully modeled
Is not so good. There are problems such as. Therefore, in view of such problems, the present invention enhances the description ability of the pattern matching between the body of the email and the rule , enhances the ability of the folder for storing the sorted email, and classifies the email by the rule.
In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing method that makes it easy to search for valid information and that can describe procedures that can be started from a folder.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The information processing system according to the eighth invention has the following elements. (A) A folder that receives and holds mail information having a predetermined identifier and a value corresponding to the identifier, (b) a rule storage unit that creates and stores a rule, and (c) a folder based on the rule. Analyze the identifier and value of the mail information stored in, and determine the rule to be executed based on the result
The analysis execution unit that executes and executes .

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0050

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Example 4. When a document is created or revised by a group, it is necessary for the client of the group to share and create the document to be reviewed among the clients.
The systematic support and management of a series of review work, in which a document created by another client is critiqued as a comment, the comment is reviewed, and then reflected in the document, is provided by multiple clients via a network. It is an indispensable function to efficiently create and revise documents. In the fourth embodiment, [1] Review schedule, reviewer, access
Rights, security checks, document versions
Providing a progress management mechanism such as [2] Actual work reflects the work style of the user group
Modeled for ease of use and review based on that model
Provide support function [3] for collecting information to support decision making
Providing a framework [4] A mechanism for solving problems through the framework of commenting
For the purpose of providing, (1) comment attachment, (2) import of schedule such as review deadline, (3) review request, various notifications such as comment attachment, and (4) execution / management of comment reflection automatically This paper describes a document review support method for communication based on electronic mail function in distributed environment.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0051

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

As shown in FIG. 6, the task of the review work
As a result of the analysis, it was found that review work is classified into multiple work patterns . Therefore, the processing is clarified by using these multiple work patterns as comment types.
It is categorized and defined as a generic comment that does not depend on the domain. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a generic comment, and the comment contains procedures 1 to n in addition to the data and the internal state. The fact that the generic comment contains a procedure other than simple data in this way is a feature of this embodiment, and the generic comment forms a so-called instance. In this method, each comment type (that is,
A generic comment) and add your own
It is regarded as an object containing data and procedures (processing).
By doing this, how to review comments
Depending on the processing, it is captured in the object,
Object with unified message (process, display, print, etc.)
Handling the type of comments, that is,
Just be able to review. Also, the
Ment inherits the attributes of the class as an instance
It The procedure in the generic comment is
Ment contains the next procedure to be executed and this
The following procedures will be sent to reviewers and comment processors.
Programming to ask what to do
And are possible. Therefore, deadline management, schedule
Based on information such as
Mentor voluntarily instructs workers to do the following:
It is possible. Then, these procedures are made into parts.
By converting it into an ibrary and registering it in the database,
By combining these procedures freely,
You can create comment types. Created
A new comment by combining
You can generate custom types and these comment types
Effective review processing can be achieved by properly using
realizable. In addition, a group of each comment type is
Will constitute the knowledge base of. In addition, the user
You can combine the comment types already provided or
To create the event type, or on the system development side
Easily add comment types tailored to user needs
Can be offered. Also, each comment
Provide a user interface suitable for the type. example
For example, comments, questions, correction instructions, supplementary explanations, instructions, etc.
Tototypes are possible. Also, a framework for attaching comments
You can solve the problem through. These comment types are
Comments by designated members by the designated deadline
Send back notification that you have read, reply to questions, etc.
Sometimes send a warning message by email
Instances for progress management of comment processing
The barrel comment itself is done. In addition, the comment
Since it is included, by executing that procedure
Mentor will actively and actively carry out the necessary work.
By providing the comment type according to the actual work
Therefore, effective review processing can be realized. Also,
The comment type may be necessary for the work of the review process.
It can be determined according to the specifications.

[Procedure correction 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0053

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

This document review support system is conceived based on the above work analysis, and has a design policy as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the design policy will be described with reference to FIG. (1) Providing a basic comment type A generic comment that is a basic comment that has the property that it does not depend on a domain, that is, a basic type that has various procedures related to review work.
Was prepared to comment type, reviewers can select the appropriate type of comments from these generic comments, by attaching a comment, can perform the review. In addition, the comment processing client executes the processing of the attached comments in accordance with the instruction from the system, reflects the comment contents in the document, and collects information for the reviewer to make a decision. Support. (2) Providing an effective communication function Creating a schedule from attaching comments to reflecting them,
Assists in setting the distribution of reviewers. In addition, based on the schedule created by the review requester, the progress status of the processing related to the review is managed for each comment, the current processing status is grasped, and the review processing is facilitated by expanding the function of the e-mail system. Performs processing related to various types of notifications aimed at communication to support the execution.

[Procedure Amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0054

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Next, an outline of the document review support system will be described. This system consists of a review request mode, a review mode, and a comment processing mode. Furthermore, the manager performs integrated management of documents and comments. FIG. 9 shows a processing flow of this review support method. (1) Review request mode When a target document, a reviewer, and a review schedule are designated, a review request is automatically made. (2) Review mode Comment type (question, opinion, correction instruction, supplementary explanation,
Etc.) and then the comment message (meaningless).
Clear, schedule unknown, details unknown, confirmation, instruction, approval,
Annotation text, attachments, abstract instructions, concrete modification examples),
Select the processing mode (normal, urgent), and then
The review pair requested to review the one that created the text
For the entire elephant document or a specific area of the target document body
The review is conducted in the form of attaching comments.
When the comment is pasted, a comment pasting notice is automatically sent to the review requester and the comment processing client. Further, it is possible to attach the same comment to the already attached comment . That is, affixed
Comments can be reviewed. In this method, the following comment types are prepared. Comments about these comment types, such as by emailing a warning message, such as sending a notification or reply to a question that the specified client has read the comment by the specified deadline. It manages the progress of processing. 1) It is for notifying the opinion type message and is the opinion of the reviewer.
To members who have specified their intentions of seeing, confirming and agreeing
This is a comment to convey. Therefore, the comment
Science members (authors or designated members) are affixed
Read comments that have been posted and send a comment processed notification
It 2) Question type Ask a question to the specified members and send the answer.
To return the documents and manage the returned documents.
It is an event. Quality to better understand the content of the document
Mainly supports decision making, such as asking questions, understanding the current situation, and investigating the cause
Information such as questions for information (explanation) necessary to do
This is a comment attached for the purpose of collection. The author himself
By attaching this type of comment to the document
It is possible to collect information to be used as a reference for preparation. Well
In addition, the author himself
Asking for a piece of text by attaching a comment
it can. The designated comment processing member answers the question.
Answers to be returned by e-mail. System manager
-This account will be collected and managed, and when all the answers are returned
A comment processing completion notification is sent and the comment processing is completed.
It will be. · Information judgments and decisions that questions have gone as the type of comment day-to-day operations for the collection, most of process
Systematic questions are possible, so systematic questions are possible
Therefore, it can be categorized as a comment type. So
Here is the question type to be attached to collect such information.
The following are possible comments. Information
The question type comment type for a collection is, for example,
The following comment types are possible. 1. Comments attached to understand the contents 2. To support problem solving, that is, to support decision making
Comments attached to collect the necessary information for revision 3) Correction instruction type Abstract correction instructions are given, or specific correction plans are illustrated to modify (add, delete, replace) text. It is a comment for managing the process of instructing and processing to the correction instruction. If you agree to the concrete amendment,
Automatic strike replacement is possible. 4) Supplementary explanation type The author or the reviewer supplementarily explains the contents of the document.
The contents are commentary texts and attachments attached to
It is a comment. This type of comment is attached
And first, a comment attachment notification will be sent to the designated members.
All members read this comment posted
Comments, questions, opinions, etc., or return a reply
Manage a series of processing such as. 5) Instruction type Gives work instructions to designated members or authors.
It is a comment to do. With authors and commenters
Communicate (electronic conferences or
Frame for determining work content and work schedule
Offering a set. Work set / changed in this comment
The work schedule is automatically scheduled for the entire system.
Is reflected in the tool. (3) Comment processing mode When a comment is pasted, a comment pasting notice is automatically sent to the related persons via e-mail. On the workstation (WS) of the concerned client, the comments are stored in folders prepared for each comment type. A person who is requested to process a comment selects a comment in this folder and specifies "comment processing" for the comment.
Since the work instruction is displayed, the comment processing is performed according to the work instruction. When the comment processing is completed, a comment processed notification is automatically sent to the reviewer and the manager. To the comment processing client that does not send the comment processing completion notification, an electronic mail urging the comment processing to be executed early is automatically sent.

[Procedure Amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0056

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The review request unit 101 selects a document to be submitted for a review request, sets a reviewer and a review schedule, and stores the selected document as ancillary information (referred to as an instance) in the review request folder. Input unit 20 for inputting into the instance storage unit 203
1 and select the instance, the selected instance
Or request a review with respect to, the message sending unit 205 for sending a message to confirm the review situation
And a review request folder 202 including an instance storage unit 203 for storing the instance created by the input unit 201 and a procedure execution unit 204 for decoding and executing a message given to the instance.

[Procedure Amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0057

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The review unit 102 includes a storage unit 303 including an instance storage unit 305 for storing a review request instance for notifying a review request and an electronic mail storage unit 306 for storing electronic mails such as warning messages,
A review folder 301 including a procedure execution unit 302 for decoding and executing a message given to an instance,
It comprises a message sending unit 304 for selecting a review request instance and sending a message to the instance . For the review request instance,
The progress of the reviewer's work by giving sage
Manage.

[Procedure Amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0063

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a question type. The question type includes the procedures 1 to 6 included in the generic comment of the question type so that the question type is processed according to the flow shown in the figure. Become. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS.
An example of a ment type is shown.

[Procedure Amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0071

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The procedure storage unit 717 stores in each folder
Stores executable procedures in a hierarchical structure.

[Procedure Amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0073

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 16 shows a description format of electronic mail. Further, FIG. 17 shows a specific description example of an electronic mail. (A) shows the case of normal mail format, (b) shows the case where the content of the mail is a program name and its source code, and (c) shows the case where the content of the mail is a set of procedure name, data and class name. ing. The electronic mail is constructed by describing a pair (slot name: slot value). The data sent from the folder 701 to the mail analysis execution unit 704 can be set in a slot name / slot value pair, that is, in slot units . Slot unit is description level
It is the smallest basic unit. At the same time, each slot in the e-mail, it is possible to either set not to sent as data to the mail analysis execution unit 704.

[Procedure Amendment 13]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0074

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 18 is a description example of a production rule described by using the rule editor section 715. Figure 1
9 shows the operation of slots and production rules. ( Slot name 1 = A, slot value 1 = B ), ( Slot
If a slot with a packet name 2 = E and a slot value 2 = F ) is described in the electronic mail, this rule becomes an executable rule and is stored in the conflict set storage unit 706. Executing the rule means executing the list described in the then part.

[Procedure Amendment 14]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0081

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

By the way, according to the instruction of the then part of the rule,
The e-mail is stored in the predetermined folder 711. When the electronic mail is stored in the folder, the contents of the electronic mail, that is, the slot is checked, and if there is a match, the procedure is started. further,
It is also possible to start the procedure by giving a message valid only in this folder to the mail in this folder.

[Procedure Amendment 15]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0084

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

According to this embodiment, first, the mail reception folder 701 is provided to filter the mail data for pattern matching with the condition part of the rule, and the network type instantiation creating part 707 is provided. The function of pattern matching is enhanced and the speed is improved by adding the message valid only in the folder to the mail stored in the procedure storage unit 717 in order to facilitate the procedure addition of the folder. Various processing can be realized. Furthermore, the circulation system of the document can be easily constructed by describing the circulation schedule in the slot of the mail body and registering the circulation processing procedure in one class of the procedure storage unit . Set the access right for the slot and
By setting whether or not writing is possible in units of
Risk of data being swapped during mail circulation
It can be avoided. In this way, by classifying mails by rules, it is easy to search for valid information, analyze the contents of the mails, execute necessary procedures, and further, in each folder that stores mails, It is possible to improve operability and realize efficient review processing by having an effective procedure only for the email.

[Procedure 16]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 24

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure Amendment 17]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 25

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure 18]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Fig. 26

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure Amendment 19]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Fig. 27

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure amendment 20]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Fig. 28

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure correction 21]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 29

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a comment type.

[Procedure correction 22]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 24

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 24

[Procedure amendment 23]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 25

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 25

[Procedure amendment 24]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 26

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 26

[Procedure Amendment 25]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 27

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 27

[Procedure Amendment 26]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 28

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 28

[Procedure Amendment 27]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 29

[Correction method] Added

[Correction content]

FIG. 29

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Gengo Chiba, 3-22-2 Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Inside System Twenty One (72) Inventor Toshiaki Saeki 5-1-1, Ofuna, Kamakura Mitsubishi Electronics Co., Ltd. Information Technology Research Institute (72) Inventor Tsutomu Okawa 5-1-1 Ofuna, Kamakura City Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. Information Technology Research Institute (72) Inventor Yoji Maeda 5-1-1 Ofuna, Kamakura City Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Corporate Information Electronics Laboratory (72) Inventor Atsushi Miura 5-1-1, Ofuna, Kamakura City Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Internal Information Electronics Laboratory

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A document creation method in which a client and a server having the following elements form a network and documents created by each client are integrated by the server to create a document: (a) a client having at least the following elements: (A1) a document configuration processing unit that processes information for configuring a document; (a2) a document processing unit that creates a document by using the information processed by the document configuration processing unit; (b) at least the following elements (B1) integrated processing unit that performs integrated processing of a plurality of documents created by the client; (b2) review processing unit that performs processing related to reviews of the created documents and comments of review results; (b3) A management processing unit that manages the progress status of the document processing unit, the review processing unit, and the integration processing unit, 2. A document creation method in which a server and a client having the following elements form a network (a) A client having the following elements: (a1) A document is created in an arbitrary document format by an arbitrary document creation tool. Document creating means, (a2) transmitting means for transmitting a document to and from a server via a network, (b) a server having the following elements, (b1) transmitting a document to and from a client via a network Transmission means, (b2) storage means for storing information on a document format based on the document creation tool used by each client, (b3) document format based on the document creation tool used by the client based on the information stored by the storage means A document conversion means for converting a document between a document format and a unified document format, (b 4) Document integration means for integrating documents in a unified document format. 3. A document creation method having the following elements: (a) term extraction means for extracting a predetermined term from a plurality of documents; (b) terms extracted by the term extraction means are compared and examined, and term conversion is performed. Term conversion means, (c) Document editing means for editing a document based on the terms converted by the term conversion means. 4. A review support system having at least one of the following elements in a client and a server on a network: (a) a review requesting unit for requesting another device to review a created document; and (b) from another device. Review section for reviewing a document based on the review request and creating a comment, and (c) a comment processing section for processing the comment based on the comment created by the review section. 5. A document review support system having the following elements: (a) review means for generating a comment including a procedure; and (b) comment processing means for processing the comment by executing the comment procedure. 6. A document review support system having the following elements: (a) a knowledge base unit that stores a plurality of types of comments and processing procedures corresponding to the types; (b) at least one of the comment types is specified. And (c) a comment processing unit that executes a corresponding processing procedure stored in the knowledge base unit based on a type specified in the created comment. 7. An information processing method having the following elements: (a) a folder for receiving and holding a predetermined identifier and information having a value corresponding to the predetermined identifier, and (b) storing a procedure corresponding to the predetermined identifier. (C) Procedure storage unit, (c) A procedure execution unit that analyzes the identifier of the information held in the folder and executes the corresponding procedure in the procedure storage unit. 8. An information processing system having the following elements: (a) a folder for receiving and holding mail information having a predetermined identifier and a value corresponding to the identifier, and (b) creating and storing a rule. Rule storage unit, (c) An analysis execution unit that analyzes the identifier of the mail information held in the folder and the value corresponding to the identifier based on the rule, and executes the rule to be executed according to the result.