System for managing the property of research and development

• US 20080288455A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Furukubo, Mami, Sato, Keiichi, Yoshii, Junji
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Computerization of experiment notebooks that satisfy requirements for experiment records and effective utilization of computerized experiment notebooks and experiment data are facilitated. A computer used by the experimenter comprises: a first means for displaying an experiment notebook form on the screen of a display unit and receiving description data for individual description items on the screen via input means; a second means for checking whether or not required description items are all filled with description data and storing such data; a third means for transmitting the experiment notebook data and experiment data to a management computer; a fourth means for allowing the management computer to integrally edit (by pasting) the experiment data with respect to the experiment notebook data, converting into experiment notebook data of a file format (PDF) for which only reference is allowed, and storing in an experiment notebook database; and a fifth means for storing the experiment data in an experiment data-database with the addition of link information associated with the experiment notebook data.

Claims

1. A system for managing the property of research and development, comprising:

a computer individually used by each experimenter and experiment approver; and

a management computer for managing an experiment notebook database, an experiment data database, and a history management database,

wherein the computer used by each experimenter comprises;

first means for displaying an experiment notebook form in which predetermined description items are described and description fields are left in blank on a screen of a display unit and receiving description data with respect to the individual description items on the screen from an input means;

second means for checking, when an operation indicating the completion of description data entry is performed, whether all the description data in the description items satisfying required description requirements has been entered and temporarily storing the data as experiment notebook data in a storage means when all the data has been entered; and

third means for sending the experiment notebook data and the experiment data corresponding to the experiment notebook data obtained via measurement apparatus to the management computer via a network in accordance with a registration operation by the experimenter, and

wherein the management computer comprises;

fourth means for receiving the experiment notebook data and the experiment data from the experimenter'"'"'s computer, integrally editing the experiment data with the experiment notebook data, converting the data into experiment notebook data in a file format to which access is allowed for reference purposes only, providing the data with a time stamp, and then storing the data in the experiment notebook database;

fifth means for providing the experiment data received together with the experiment notebook data with link information to the experiment notebook data and storing the experiment data in the experiment data database; and

sixth means for recording history information such as type information indicating whether the experiment notebook data and experiment data stored in the experiment notebook database and the experiment data database is newly submitted, submitted after correction, or submitted after addition, and registrants, in the history management database.

2. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 1,

wherein the computer used by each experimenter further comprises seventh means for:

sending user authentication information of the experimenter using the computer to the management computer for receiving user authentication;

receiving, upon successful user authentication, the history information including the submission history of the experiment notebook data of the experimenter and the approval history by the approver from the management computer; and

displaying the information on the display screen, and

wherein the management computer further comprises eighth means for;

receiving user authentication information from the computer used by the experimenter, identifying whether the experimenter is registered in a user information database, and sending back, when the experimenter is identified to be registered, the history information including submission history concerning the experiment notebook data and the experiment data submitted by the experimenter and approval history by the approver, to the computer used by the experimenter.

3. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 1,

wherein the computer used by the approver further comprises ninth means for:

sending user authentication information of the approver using the computer to the management computer for receiving user authentication;

receiving, upon successful user authentication, a list of experiment notebook data not approved by the approver from the management computer; and

displaying the list on the display screen, and

wherein the management computer further comprises tenth means for receiving user authentication information from the computer used by the approver, identifying whether the approver is registered in a user information database, and when the approver is determined to be registered, searching the history management data base for the experiment notebook data not approved by the approver, and sending back a list of unapproved experiment notebook data, to the computer used by the approver.

4. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 2,

wherein the computer used by each experimenter and approver further comprises eleventh means for:

receiving a search condition with respect to the experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information, from an input means;

sending the search request based on the search condition to the management computer; and

displaying the search result received from the management computer on the display screen, and

wherein the management computer further comprises twelfth means for searching the experiment notebook database, the experiment data database, and history management database for the experiment notebook data and the experiment data corresponding to the search request and sending back the retrieved experiment notebook data, experiment data, and list of history information to the computer from which the search request has been sent.

5. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 4,

wherein the computer used by each experimenter and approver further comprises thirteenth means for:

receiving a request for a search for any one of the experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information in the search result list displayed on the display screen from the input means;

sending the search request to the management computer; and

displaying the experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information corresponding to the search request received from the management computer on the display screen, and

wherein the management computer further comprises fourteenth means for;

searching the experiment notebook database, experiment-data database, and history management database for the experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information corresponding to the search request; and

sending back the retrieved experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information to the computer from which the search request has been sent.

6. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 2,

wherein the computer used by each experimenter and approver further comprises twentieth means for receiving a browse condition with respect to the experiment notebook data and experiment data from an input means;

sending a browse request indicating the browse condition to the management computer; and

displaying the result received from the management computer on a display screen, and

wherein the management computer further comprises fifteenth means for;

searching the experiment notebook database, experiment-data database, and history management database for the experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information corresponding to the browse request; and

sending back the retrieved experiment notebook data, experiment data, and history information to the computer from which the browse request has been sent.

7. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 1,

wherein the computer used by the approver further comprises:

sixteenth means for receiving a request for the detailed display of any one of the experiment notebook data in the list of unapproved experiment notebook data displayed on the display screen, sending a request for the acquisition of the experiment notebook data to the management computer, and displaying the experiment notebook data received from the management computer on the display screen; and

seventeenth means for receiving comment data with respect to the displayed experiment notebook data from the input means, receiving a decision based on an “

Approve”

button or a “

Reject”

button and sending the entered comment data and decision information to the management computer, and

wherein the management computer further comprises;

eighteenth means for searching the experiment notebook database for the experiment notebook data corresponding to the request for the acquisition of the experiment notebook data and sending back the data to the computer from which the request has been sent; and

nineteenth means for associating the comment data and decision information received from the computer with the corresponding experiment notebook data, storing the data in the experiment notebook database, and updating the status of the experiment notebook data in the history management database in accordance with the decision information.

8. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 1, wherein the second means for the computer used by each experimenter refers to required description items previously set in a required description item table so as to check whether all the description data in the description items satisfying the required description requirements is entered.

9. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the control number of experiment apparatus, the usage time period, and the signature of the signature of the apparatus manager is set in the required description item table.

10. The system for managing the property of research and development according to claim 1, wherein the second means for the computer used by each experimenter receives biological information unique to the creator of experiment notebook data, adds the biological information to the experiment notebook data, and stores the experiment notebook data in the storage means.