PROCEDURE GENERATION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20090132532A1
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: HARASHIMA, Ichiro, Shiroyama, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A procedure generation apparatus has, in a storage unit thereof, a database in which a name of input information and a name of output information name are stored, associated with a name of a work. The procedure generation apparatus retrieves one or more candidate work names associated with an input information name from the database, displays the retrieved one or more work names, receives a selection of a work name from among the displayed one or more work names, retrieves one or more candidate output information names associated with the selected work name from the database, displays the retrieved one or more output information names, receives a selection of an output information name from among the displayed output information names, retrieves one or more candidate input information names each having a similar name to the selected output information name, from the database, and displays the retrieved input information name.

Claims

1. A procedure generation apparatus for generating a work flow which is a procedure sequentially representing a relation between a name of a work to be conducted, a name of an input information required for conducting the work, and a name of an output information generated as a result of conducting the work, comprising:

a storage unit having a database which stores therein the input information name and the output information name, associating with the work name; and

a control unit for generating the work flow sequentially,

retrieving, upon setting an input information name as a start point of the work flow, one or more work names associated with the set input information name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved work names each as a name of a candidate work to be conducted, based on the set input information, on a display unit,

receiving a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via an input unit,

retrieving one or more output information names associated with the selected work name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved output information names each as a name of candidate output information generated as a result of conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an output information name from among the one or more displayed output information names via the input unit,

retrieving one or more input information names each having a name similar to the selected output information name, from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved input information names each as a name of candidate input information required for conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an input information name from among the one or more displayed input information names via the input unit, and

setting the selected input information name as the start point of the work flow.

2. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit determines the input information name by:

receiving an input of a character indicating information concerning the input information name via the input unit, and retrieving and acquiring one or more candidate input information names from the database by the received character as a retrieval key, or acquiring one or more candidate input information names stored in the database;

displaying the acquired one or more candidate input information names on the display unit; and

receiving a selection of an input information name from among the displayed one or more input information names via the input unit, and

wherein the control unit sets the determined input information name as the start point of the work flow.

3. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the storage unit pre-stores a standard attribute value concerning the input information, associating with the input information name, and

wherein the control unit

receives an input of an attribute value concerning a candidate input information name as the start point of the work flow, via the input unit,

calculates a difference between the received attribute value and the pre-stored attribute value for each of the input information,

determines the input information name as the start point of the work flow, based on the difference, and

sets the determined input information name as the start point of the work flow.

4. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit

receives a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via the input unit, and

displays an input information name which is not displayed among one or more input information names associated with the selected work name, on the display unit.

5. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the retrieved one or more work names and output information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of frequency so far selected.

6. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the selected input information name, work name, and output information name are highlighted on the display unit, compared to any other names that are not selected.

7. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the retrieved one or more input information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of similarity to the output information name having been used for retrieving the one or more input information names.

8. A procedure generation apparatus for generating a work flow which is a procedure sequentially representing a relation between a name of a work to be conducted, a name of an input information required for conducting the work, and a name of an output information generated as a result of conducting the work, comprising:

a storage unit having a database which stores therein the input information name and the output information name, associating with the work name; and

a control unit for generating the work flow sequentially,

receiving an input of a character indicating information concerning the work name as a start point of the work flow, via the input unit,

retrieving and acquiring one or more candidate input information names from the database by the received character as a retrieval key, or acquiring one or more candidate work names stored in the database,

displaying the acquired one or more candidate work names on the display unit,

receiving a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via an input unit,

retrieving one or more output information names associated with the selected work name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved output information names each as a name of candidate output information generated as a result of conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an output information name from among the one or more displayed output information names via the input unit,

retrieving one or more input information names each having a name similar to the selected output information name, from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved input information names each as a name of candidate input information required for conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an input information name from among the one or more displayed input information names via the input unit,

retrieving one or more work names associated with the selected input information name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved work names each as a name of a candidate work to be conducted associated with the input information, on the display unit, and

receiving a selection of a work name from among the displayed one or more work names.

9. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the control unit

receives a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via the input unit, and

displays an input information name which is not displayed among one or more input information names associated with the selected work name, on the display unit.

10. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the retrieved one or more work names and output information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of frequency so far selected.

11. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the selected input information name, work name, and output information name are highlighted on the display unit, compared to any other names that are not selected.

12. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the retrieved one or more input information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of similarity to the output information name used for retrieving the one or more input information names.

13. A procedure generation method using a computer for generating a work flow which is a procedure sequentially representing a relation between a name of a work to be conducted, a name of an input information required for conducting the work, and a name of an output information generated as a result of conducting the work, comprising:

a storage unit of the computer having a database which stores therein the input information name and the output information name, associating with the work name; and

a control unit of the computer for generating the work flow sequentially,

retrieving, upon setting an input information name as a start point of the work flow, one or more work names associated with the set input information name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved work names each as a name of a candidate work to be conducted, based on the set input information, on a display unit,

receiving a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via an input unit,

retrieving one or more output information names associated with the selected work name from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved output information names each as a name of candidate output information generated as a result of conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an output information name from among the one or more displayed output information names via the input unit,

retrieving one or more input information names each having a name similar to the selected output information name, from the database,

displaying the one or more retrieved input information names each as a name of candidate input information required for conducting the work, on the display unit,

receiving a selection of an input information name from among the one or more displayed input information names via the input unit, and

setting the selected input information name as the start point of the work flow.

14. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the control unit of the computer determines the input information name by:

receiving an input of a character indicating information concerning the input information name via the input unit, and retrieving and acquiring one or more candidate input information names from the database by the received character as a retrieval key, or acquiring one or more candidate input information names stored in the database;

displaying the acquired one or more candidate input information names on the display unit; and

receiving a selection of an input information name from among the displayed one or more input information names via the input unit, and

wherein the control unit sets the determined input information name as the start point of the work flow.

15. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the storage unit of the computer pre-stores a standard attribute value concerning the input information, associating with the input information name, and

wherein the control unit of the computer

receives an input of an attribute value concerning a candidate input information name as the start point of the work flow, via the input unit,

calculates a difference between the received attribute value and the pre-stored attribute value for each of the input information,

determines the input information name the start point of the work flow, based on the difference, and

sets the determined input information name as the start point of the work flow.

16. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the control unit of the computer

receives a selection of a work name from among the one or more displayed work names via the input unit, and

displays an input information name which is not displayed among one or more input information names associated with the selected work name, on the display unit.

17. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the retrieved one or more work names and output information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of frequency so far selected.

18. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the selected input information name, work name, and output information name are highlighted on the display unit, compared to any other names that are not selected.

19. The procedure generation apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the retrieved one or more input information names are displayed on the display unit in descending order of similarity to the output information name used for retrieving the one or more input information names.