INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20170255486A1
• Filed: 02/22/2017
• Published: 09/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: ZHANG, Dongzhe, HAYASHI, Yuuichiroh, SAKANASHI, Ryutaro
• Granted Patent: US 10,516,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/21 Intermediate information storage H04N1/387, H04N1/41 take precedence ; for control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32358; indexing, editing G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An information processing system includes a memory and processors. The memory stores flow information and flow identification information for each process sequence performed by using electronic data. The flow information defines program identification information identifying programs for executing the process sequence, and an execution order of the programs. The processors execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to execute a process including receiving information relating to the electronic data and the flow identification information, from a device coupled to the system; acquiring the flow information stored in association with the received flow identification information; and executing the process sequence based on the information relating to the electronic data, by executing the programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order. When the process sequence includes an iteration of processes, the processes are repeatedly executed according to a condition of the iteration.

Claims

1. An information processing system including one or more information processing apparatuses configured to implement various functions of the information processing system, the information processing system comprising:

a memory configured to store

flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining first program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining a first execution order of executing the one or more programs, and

computer-executable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions such that the one or more processors execute a process including;

receiving, over a communication channel, information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing system;

acquiring the flow information stored in association with the received flow identification information, among the flow information stored in the memory; and

executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the first program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the first execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein

when the sequence of processes includes an iteration of one or more processes, the executing includes repeatedly executing the one or more processes according to a condition of the iteration.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

when the flow information defines second program identification information identifying the one or more programs for respectively executing the one or more processes to be iterated, a second execution order of executing the one or more programs for respectively executing the one or more processes to be to be iterated, and the condition of the iteration,

the executing includes repeatedly executing the one or more processes to be iterated, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the second program identification information defined in the flow information, in the second execution order, according to the condition of the iteration.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more programs include an iteration program for repeatedly executing the one or more processes to be iterated, and

when the flow information defines the first program identification information identifying the iteration program, the executing includes repeatedly executing the one or more processes by the iteration program, according to the condition of the iteration.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the executing includes converting a data format of the electronic data into a predetermined data format, and

after the data format of the electronic data is converted into a data format that can be processed by the one or more programs, the one or more programs execute the processes included in the sequence of processes, to execute the sequence of processes using the electronic data.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more programs include a program for executing a process relating to an external service, and

the program for executing the process relating to the external service includes at least a program for executing a process of acquiring a storage destination address of the electronic data stored in the external service.

6. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store

flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining an execution order of executing the one or more programs, and

computer-executable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions such that the one or more processors execute a process including;

receiving, over a communication channel, information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing apparatus;

acquiring the flow information stored in association with the received flow identification information, among the flow information stored in the memory; and

executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein

when the sequence of processes includes an iteration of one or more processes, the executing includes repeatedly executing the one or more processes according to a condition of the iteration.

7. An information processing method executed by a computer, the information processing method being implemented in an information processing system including

one or more information processing apparatuses configured to implement various functions of the information processing system, and

a memory configured to store flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining an execution order of executing the one or more programs, the information processing method comprising:

receiving, over a communication channel, information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing system;

acquiring the flow information stored in association with the received flow identification information, among the flow information stored in the memory; and

executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein

when the sequence of processes includes an iteration of one or more processes, the executing includes repeatedly executing the one or more processes according to a condition of the iteration.