Workflow support system and method of the same

• US 6,026,365 A
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRECCA, MICHELE S
• Application Number:
  US08/912,641
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 364/468.05, 364/468.06, 700/99, 700/100
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work

Abstract

The invention provides a workflow support system and a method of the same that enables to refer to and to trace the history and progress state of the control information, as to a workflow transferring into a different system and an atypical task. The data base contains a task control information for executing a workflow, and the conversion unit converts a task information into a task sheet being an electronic document, which is stored in the document data base or the open document server. The task control information contains a relation between the tasks and a pointer indicating a storage location of a task sheet corresponding to the task, and the pointer is contained also in the task sheet. The task sheets are linked by this pointer. Tracing this pointer makes it possible to refer to the task sheets of the tasks involved, to grasp the progress state, and further to trace the task sheets involved.

Claims

1. A system for supporting a workflow operation in a distributed system having a plurality of local systems, at least one local system of the plurality of local systems including:

task control information storage means for storing task control information, wherein the task control information includes at least a task table and a process table; and

transfer means for transferring the task control information between the at least one local system and other local systems of the plurality of local systems, wherein the task table includes first task information identifying each task assigned to the at least one local system and the process table includes information identifying relationships between the first task information and second task information corresponding to related tasks assigned to at least one of the other local systems of the plurality of local systems.

2. The system according to claim 1, the at least one local system further comprising:

open-document storage means for storing open-documents opened in the distributed system network; and

conversion means for converting the task control information stored in the task control information storage means to a task sheet, the task sheet including a pointer to a related task sheet of a related task and for storing the task sheet in the open-document storage means,

wherein the transferring means transfers the task sheet.

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the converting means converts the task sheet stored in the open-document storage means to the task control information and stores the task control information in the task control information storage means.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the task sheet is an electronic document described according to a markup language.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating a storage area for an electronic document referred to or written in a task, the conversion means converts the electronic document pointer information, indicating a storage area for an electronic document contained in the task control information, into a description in an input form area using the markup language, and an information inputted in the input form area is stored in the storage area.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating a storage area for an electronic document referred to or written in a task, and wherein when the conversion means converts the task sheet into the task control information, if the task sheet contains an input form division described according to the markup language, the conversion means converts the task sheet into the electronic document pointer information.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the task sheet has a unique task sheet ID in the distributed system network, and a task sheet pointer for the task sheet is the task sheet ID.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein the transfer means transmits and receives the task sheet through communication by means of electronic mail, the hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP), or via a recording medium.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein when the transfer means receives a task sheet, the system senses a generation of a corresponding task and executes the corresponding task on the basis of the task control information being a result obtained by converting the task sheet.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating an electronic document referred to or written in a task or a storage area for the electronic document and the conversion means generates a compound task sheet as a compound document including a duplicate of an electronic document specified by the electronic document pointer information.

11. The system according to claim 2, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating an electronic document referred to or written in a task or a storage area for the electronic document, the conversion means divides a compound task sheet, the compound task sheet including the task sheet and a duplicate of an electronic document, into a task sheet division corresponding to the task sheet and an electronic document division, stores an electronic document contained in the electronic document division in the open document storage means, converts the task sheet division into task control information and stores a pointer for the electronic document stored in the open document storage means as the electronic document pointer information in the task control information.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the process table represents an upper-lower relationship between the first task information and the second task information.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the process table represents a former-later relationship of the first task information and the second task information.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating a storage area for an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the task control information contains a variable corresponding to an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task, and further contains variable information such that the variable is coordinated with a pointer indicating the area capable of storing the electronic document.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the electronic document has a unique document-ID in the distributed system network, and the electronic document pointer information is the document-ID.

18. A workflow support method for supporting a workflow operation in a distributed system network having a plurality of local systems, the method comprising:

storing task control information in a task control information storage device, wherein the task control information includes at least a task table and a process table; and

transferring the task control information between the local systems, wherein the task table includes first task information identifying each task assigned to one local system of the plurality of local systems and the process table includes information identifying relationships between the first task information and second task information corresponding to related tasks assigned to at least one other local system of the plurality of local systems.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

storing open-documents opened in the distributed system network in an open-document storage device;

converting the task control information stored in the task control information storage device to a task sheet, the task sheet including a pointer to a related task sheet of a related task; and

storing the task sheet in the open-document storage device, wherein transferring the task control information includes transferring the task sheet.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein converting the task control information includes converting the task sheet stored in the open-document storage device to the task control information and storing the task control information in the task control information storage device.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the task sheet is an electronic document described according to a markup language.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the task sheet has a unique task sheet ID in the distributed system network, and a task sheet pointer for the task sheet is the task sheet ID.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein transferring the task control information includes transmitting and/or receiving the task sheet through communication by means of electronic mail, the hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP), or via a recording medium.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein when a task sheet is received, a corresponding task is executed on the basis of the task control information being a result obtained by converting the task sheet.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating an electronic document referred to or written in a task or a storage area for the electronic document and a compound task sheet is generated as a compound document including a duplicate of an electronic document specified by the electronic document pointer information.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the process table represents an upper-lower relationship between the first task information and the second task information.

27. The method according to claim 18, wherein the process table represents a former-later relationship of the first task information and the second task information.

28. The method according to claim 18, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating a storage area for an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task.

29. The method according to claim 18, wherein the task control information contains a variable corresponding to an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task, and further contains variable information such that the variable is coordinated with a pointer indicating an area capable of storing the electronic document.

30. The method according to claim 18, wherein the task control information contains electronic document pointer information indicating an electronic document referred to or written in a task or related task.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the electronic document has a unique document-ID in the distributed system network, and the electronic document pointer information is the document-ID.

32. A system for supporting a workflow operation comprising:

a task control information database that stores task control information, wherein the task control information includes at least a task table and a process table; and

a network, comprised of at least two local systems, through which the task control information is transferred between a first local system and other local systems of the network, wherein the task table includes first task information identifying each task assigned to the first local system and the process table includes information identifying relationships between the first task information and second task information corresponding to related tasks assigned to at least one of the other local systems of the network.