Method and system for managing workflow of electronic documents

• US 5,878,398 A
• Filed: 03/20/1996
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsuji, Hiroshi, Mase, Hisao, Tokuda, Tamayo
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Application Number:
  US08/618,791
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.36, 395/200.37, 395/200.68, 395/200.73, 395/200.75, 395/673, 379/93.01, 379/93.15, 379/93.24, 379/100.01, 379/100.08, 340/825.44, 455/412, 455/417, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• 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 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A workflow managing system includes a workflow server for automatically extracting a next workflow entrance location from an electronic document for management of the next workflow entrance location. The workflow server analyzes the entered electronic document to extract a document type candidate from the electronic document, classifies the electronic document in accordance with the document type, refers to a table showing a relationship between the document types and in-charge departments or in-charge users associated therewith at the time of circulating the classified electronic document, automatically extracts next workflow entrance location candidate information for circulation of the sorted document type candidates, sends the sorted electronic document to the user terminal of the next workflow entrance location candidate, receives a signal indicative of acquisition or remand of the document circulated from the document-circulated user terminal, judges correctness or incorrectness of the next workflow entrance location candidate information, and confirms the correctness or incorrectness of the circulation.

Claims

1. A workflow managing system in which at least one workflow server and a plurality of user terminals are interconnected through a network to transfer electronic documents from the workflow server to the user terminals, said workflow server comprising:

document type sorting means for analyzing contents of an entered electronic document, extracting a candidate of document type therefrom and classifying the electronic document according to the document type;

a table showing a relationship between the document types and in-charge departments or in-charge users associated therewith;

extracting means of extracting next workflow entrance location candidate for forwarding the electronic document to said in-charge departments or in-charge users, when the electronic document classified by said document type sorting means is circulated, for collating the document type candidate from said document type sorting means with said table to extract next workflow entrance location candidate information of the electronic document therefrom;

correctness or incorrectness confirming means, in response to an output of said extracting means, for receiving an input signal from a user terminal receiving the workflow of the electronic document on the basis of said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information, judging whether the next workflow entrance location candidate information is correct or incorrect and confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the workflow to allow the specific user to specify the next workflow entrance location of the electronic document; and

circulating means for circulating from said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate the electronic document for which correctness of the workflow is confirmed, on the basis of a corresponding business process definition stored in the table.

2. A workflow managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said workflow server includes means, responsive to an output indicating that it is impossible for said document type sorting means to extract the document type candidate or that said correctness or incorrectness confirming means has confirmed the incorrectness of said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information, for automatically specifying the user terminal of a predetermined specific user as a next workflow entrance location of the electronic document.

3. A workflow managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input signal for the electronic document circulated from said user terminal includes a first signal indicative of document acquisition operation which means determination of the next in-charge workflow entrance location of the electronic document and a second signal indicative of document remand operation which means that the next workflow entrance location is not the next in-charge workflow entrance location of the electronic document, and said correctness or incorrectness confirming means judges the correctness or incorrectness of said next workflow entrance location candidate information by selecting said first and second signals from said user terminal.

4. A workflow managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said workflow server includes means, when a plurality of document types are present for said electronic document extracted by said document type sorting means and a plurality of pieces of next workflow entrance location candidate information are outputted from said next workflow entrance location candidate extracting means, for assigning priorities to candidates for the next workflow entrance location of the electronic document in accordance with a number of electronic documents possessed by the next workflow entrance location candidates to send the electronic document to the next workflow entrance location candidates in a higher priority order when the priorities are different and to broadcast the electronic document to the next workflow entrance location candidates when the priorities are the same.

5. A workflow managing method in a workflow managing system having at least one workflow server and a plurality of user terminals connected to the workflow server through a network, for transferring electronic documents from the workflow server to the user terminals, comprising the steps of:

a) analyzing contents of an entered electronic document, extracting a candidate of document type therefrom and classifying the electronic document according to the document type in said workflow server;

b) providing a table showing a relationship between document types and in-charge departments or in-charge users associated therewith;

c) when the electronic document classified by said step a) is circulated, collating said document type candidate from said step a) with said table to extract next workflow entrance location candidate information for forwarding the electronic document therefrom to said in-charge departments or in-charge users;

d) in response to an output of said step c), receiving an input signal from a user terminal receiving the workflow of the electronic document on the basis of said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information, judging whether the extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information is correct or incorrect and confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the workflow; and

e) circulating from said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate the electronic document for which correctness of the workflow is confirmed, on the basis of a corresponding business process definition stored in the table.

6. A workflow managing method as set forth in claim 5, wherein, in said workflow server, said step a) includes a step of, in response to an output indicating that it is impossible for said step a) to extract the document type candidate or that said step d) has confirmed the incorrectness of said next workflow entrance location candidate information, specifying the user terminal of a predetermined specific user as a next workflow entrance location of the electronic document to allow the specific user to specify the next workflow entrance location of the electronic document.

7. A workflow managing method as set forth in claim 5, further including, in said workflow server, a step of, when a plurality of document types are present for said electronic document extracted by said step a) and a plurality of pieces of next workflow entrance location candidate information are outputted from said step c), assigning priorities to candidates for the next workflow entrance location of the electronic document in accordance with a number of electronic documents possessed by the user terminals of the next workflow entrance location candidates to send the electronic document to the next workflow entrance location candidates in a higher priority order when the priorities are different and to broadcast the electronic document to the next workflow entrance location candidates when the priorities are the same.

8. A workflow managing method as set forth in claim 5, wherein said input signal for the electronic document circulated from said user terminal includes a first signal indicative of document acquisition operation which means determination of the next in-charge workflow entrance location of the electronic document and a second signal indicative of document remand operation which means that the next workflow entrance location is not the next in-charge workflow entrance location of the electronic document, and said step d) judges the correctness or incorrectness of said next workflow entrance location candidate information by selecting said first and second signals from said user terminal.

9. A program storage medium to be installed in a workflow server, for operating a workflow managing system in which the workflow server and a plurality of user terminals are interconnected through a network to transfer electronic documents from the workflow server to the user terminals, a program medium for mounting in said workflow server for activating said workflow managing system comprising:

a document type sorting module for analyzing contents of an entered electronic document, extracting a candidate of document type therefrom and classifying the electronic document according to the document type;

a next workflow entrance location candidate extracting module, when the electronic document classified by said document type sorting module is circulated, for collating a candidate for said document type from said document type sorting module with a table showing a relationship between the document types and in-charge departments or in-charge users associated therewith to automatically extract next workflow entrance location candidate information of the electronic document therefrom; and

a confirmation module, in response to an output of said next workflow entrance location candidate extracting module, for receiving an input signal from a user terminal receiving the workflow of the electronic document on the basis of said extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information, judging whether the extracted next workflow entrance location candidate information is correct or incorrect and confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the workflow to allow the specific user to specify the next workflow entrance location of the electronic document.