JP5195211B2 - Distribution management system, distribution management apparatus, distribution management method, distribution management program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a distribution management system, and in particular, a distribution management system, a distribution management apparatus, a distribution management method, a distribution management program, and a storage for verifying flow definition data in which a flow of processing of image data generated from a paper document is defined. It relates to the medium.

  In recent years, in many companies, the arrangement and connection of image input / output devices (hereinafter referred to as “scanners”) such as multi-function products (hereinafter referred to as “MFPs”) on networks have progressed. It plays a big role as a means to improve business efficiency. In particular, a distribution management system that efficiently digitizes and distributes paper documents is important. Major elements constituting this distribution management system are a scanner and a distribution management server. A plurality of distribution processing menus are registered in advance in the distribution management server in accordance with various tasks and uses, and the user selects and scans flow definition data suitable for the task from the scanner operation panel.

  The flow definition data is registered in advance in the distribution management server by the administrator and is verified in advance. If this pre-verification work is inadequate, there may be a problem of loss of important document data or data leakage due to misdelivery during actual operation, so flow definition data is particularly important when building complex flows. Pre-verification of is important.

  Conventionally, for example, a distribution system disclosed in Patent Document 1 below relates to a distribution system that executes various types of processing and distribution processing according to flow definition data defined in a distribution server. The distribution system includes a flow execution control unit that controls execution of processing on scan image data based on the flow definition data in the distribution server, and the flow execution control unit associates the received bibliographic information with the flow definition data. Based on the flow definition data associated with the bibliographic information, execution of processing is controlled for the scanned image data.

JP 2008-097586 A

  However, the prior verification of the flow definition data by the distribution system disclosed in Patent Document 1 must be performed by using a scanner and image data that has already been read into the distribution system, and is performed by trial and error, which places a heavy burden on the system administrator. There was a problem that work efficiency was poor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and includes a distribution management system, a distribution management apparatus, a distribution management method, a distribution management program, and a storage medium capable of performing advance verification of flow definition data without using a scanner. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a distribution management apparatus connected to an image processing apparatus via a network, and processes image data input from the image processing apparatus and the image data. a storage unit for the flow defined flow definition data, and stores a plurality of function programs that perform distributed processing is included in the flow definition data, and bibliographic information, wherein associated with the flow definition data, wherein and flow performing unit that the storage unit is requested to execute the distribution process to a plurality of the functional program stored, the flow definition data, and read out the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data and the image data, a request for execution of the delivery process the ask the flow execution unit, characterized by comprising a verification tool that displays has been operating the verification result output from the flow execution unit.

The present invention also provides a distribution management system including an image processing apparatus and a distribution management apparatus connected via a network, wherein the distribution management apparatus is configured to output image data input from the image processing apparatus and the image data. a storage unit for storing the flow definition processing flow is defined data, a plurality of functional programs that perform distributed processing is included in the flow definition data, and bibliographic information, wherein associated with the flow definition data, a flow execution unit for requesting the execution of the distribution process to a plurality of the function program the storage unit stores the flow definition data, and read out the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data and the image data, the delivery process of execution characterized by comprising requesting a request to the flow execution unit, a verification tool that displays has been operating the verification result output from the flow execution unit, the To.

  The present invention also relates to a distribution management method implemented in a distribution management apparatus connected to an image processing apparatus via a network, the step of receiving an operation verification execution start command, and the input from the image processing apparatus A step of reading out the flow definition data in which the processing flow of the image data is defined from the storage unit, a step of displaying the read flow definition data, the image data stored in the storage unit, and the image data Reading the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data, outputting the image data, the bibliographic information, and the flow definition data, and a plurality of the flow definition data included in the flow definition data based on the image data and the bibliographic information. A step of performing operation verification of the function program, and displaying operation verification results of the plurality of function programs on the image processing apparatus; A step that, characterized in that it comprises a.

  The present invention is also a distribution management program for causing a computer of a distribution management apparatus to execute the above distribution management method, and a storage medium storing the distribution management program in a computer-readable manner.

  According to the present invention, by selecting the flow definition data displayed on the verification tool, the flow definition data is verified by the verification tool of the distribution management server, the flow execution unit, and the functional component, and the operation verification result is obtained. Since it can be displayed on the verification tool, it is possible to reduce the burden on the system administrator and improve the work efficiency.

  Exemplary embodiments of a distribution management system, a distribution management device, a distribution management method, a distribution management program, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, a distribution management system, a distribution management apparatus, a distribution management method, a distribution management program, and a storage medium according to the present invention, a distribution management system and a distribution management apparatus that perform distribution processing of image data scanned by a multifunction peripheral An example applied to a distribution management method, a distribution management program, and a storage medium will be described. However, the distribution management system, distribution management apparatus, distribution management method, distribution management program, and storage medium of the present invention are not limited to this, and any apparatus and system can be used as long as they control processing for image data. It can also be applied to.

  In the following embodiments, an image forming apparatus for inputting image data is described by taking a multifunction machine having a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function in one housing as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any image forming apparatus capable of inputting image data can be applied to any of a scanner apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, a copying apparatus, and the like.

  FIG. 1-1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a distribution management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1A, the distribution management system according to the present embodiment includes an MFP 40, a distribution management server 30, an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server 20, an EDMS (Enterprise Document Management System) 21, and a file server 22. It has. Each of these apparatuses is connected via a network (not shown) such as a LAN or the Internet.

  The MFP 40 has a scan function, a copy function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and the like mounted in one housing. The MFP 40 scans a paper medium or the like with the scanner function to generate image data, and transmits the generated image data to the distribution management server 30. Details of the MFP 40 will be described later.

  The distribution management server 30 receives image data scanned by the MFP 40, and a computer such as a workstation that executes various processes and distribution processes according to flow definition data that defines the flow of various processes for the image data received from the MFP 40. It is. Details of the distribution management server 30 will be described later.

  The flow definition data described above is transmitted to each function program, for example, a document bibliographic replacement program for editing bibliographic information of a document (image data), an image conversion program for converting a text format, and a document to a specified e-mail address. It consists of a mail delivery program and a folder delivery program that saves documents in a specified folder. A function program group in which these programs are collected may be referred to as a function component. The bibliographic information described above is various information for identifying image data such as information used when distributing image data captured by the distribution management system, such as a company name of a transmission destination.

  The file server 22 is a computer that stores and manages files shared on the Internet. The EDMS 21 is a so-called document management system, and the SMTP server 20 is a server for transmitting an electronic mail compliant with SMTP, which is a mail transmission protocol. All of the file server 22, the EDMS 21, and the SMTP 20 are accessed by distribution processing by the distribution management server 30.

  Next, details of the distribution management server 30 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the distribution management server 30 mainly includes a verification tool 31, a remote communication unit 32, a flow execution unit 33, a functional component 34, a data access 35, and a database 36.

  The database 36 has a data storage function in the distribution management server 30, and as accumulated information, for example, flow definition data created by an administrator, a plurality of function programs included in the flow definition data, Bibliographic information associated with flow definition data and system logs. The data stored in the database 36 is not limited to these, and for example, image data input from the MFP 40 may be stored.

  Data access 35 is a program having an access function to the database 36. The flow execution unit 33 requests each functional component 34 in the flow definition data to execute distribution processing.

  As described above, the functional component 34 is configured by each functional program, and when receiving a request for executing the distribution process from the flow execution unit 33, the functional component 34 executes the distribution process of each program.

  The remote communication unit 32 controls reception of image data and bibliographic information transmitted from the MFP 40. The remote communication unit 32 controls transmission of various data to the distribution management server 30.

  Next, details of the MFP 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1-1, the MFP 40 mainly includes an operation panel 41, server information 42, a display control unit 43, a remote communication unit 44, and an image generation unit 45.

  The operation panel 41 is hardware on which a user performs various screens and operation inputs. The operation panel 41 can display operation units such as a start button, a stop button, a copy button, and a scan button.

  The server information 42 is a database in which the IP address and the like of the distribution management server 30 are registered, and is stored in a storage medium such as an HDD or a memory.

  The remote communication unit 44 controls transmission / reception of various data to / from the distribution management server 30. Specifically, the remote communication unit 44 transmits the flow selection screen request, the flow ID of the selected flow, and the scanned image data to the distribution management server 30 corresponding to the IP address registered in the server information 42.

  The display control unit 43 controls the display unit of the operation panel 41 to display various screens, software keyboard screens, and the like so as to allow touch input. With this control, the user of the MFP 40 can perform various operations and touch inputs on the MFP 40 and the distribution management server 30 on the operation panel 41.

  FIG. 1-2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a module configuration of the verification tool. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the verification tool 31 includes a flow data acquisition unit 50, a UI unit 51, a user operation unit 52, an input data generation unit 53, and a flow execution call unit 54.

  The flow data acquisition unit 50 reads the flow definition data stored in the database 36. The UI unit 51 displays the flow definition data read by the flow data acquisition unit 50 on the operation panel 41. In addition, the UI unit 51 displays an operation verification result. These specific display examples will be described later.

  The user operation unit 52 indicates an operation verification execution button. The input data generation unit 53 reads (generates) the image data selected at the time of performing the operation verification and the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data. That is, it is possible to save the trouble of re-reading image data and bibliographic information by the scanner function of the MFP 40 (such as the image generation unit 45).

  The flow execution call unit 54 outputs the image data and bibliographic information read by the input data generation unit 53 and the flow definition data acquired from the database 36 to the flow execution unit 33. Further, when the operation verification in the flow execution unit 33 is completed, the flow execution calling unit 54 outputs the operation verification result output from the flow execution unit 33 to the UI unit 51. The operation verification result described above indicates whether an error has occurred in each function of the flow definition data.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the distribution management system according to this exemplary embodiment will be described. When image data to be verified is selected and a verification start operation is performed, the flow data acquisition unit 50 reads the flow definition data stored in the database 36. The input data generation unit 53 reads the selected image data and bibliographic information corresponding to the image data. The flow execution call unit 54 outputs the image data and bibliographic information read by the input data generation unit 53 and the flow definition data acquired from the database 36 to the flow execution unit 33 and requests execution of operation verification. To do. The flow execution unit 33 requests each functional component 34 in the flow definition data to execute operation verification, and the functional component 34 performs distribution processing of each program. The flow execution unit 33 outputs the operation verification result output from the functional component 34 to the flow execution call unit 54. Then, the flow execution calling unit 54 outputs the verification result to the UI unit 51, and the UI unit 51 displays the verification result.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow definition data verification screen. The verification screen shown on the left side of FIG. 2 shows the state before verification, and the verification screen shown on the right side of FIG. 2 shows the state after verification. These verification screens are screens displayed on the UI unit 51 based on the operation of each function of the verification tool 31 described above.

  The verification screen shown in FIG. 2 includes a distribution flow selection unit 10 that selects a flow to be verified from the flow definition data registered in the distribution management server 30, and a verification start button for starting verification of the flow definition data 11, a distribution flow display unit 12 for displaying the selected flow definition data, and a guidance unit 13 for displaying an explanation of the operation verification result. The distribution flow selection unit 10 described above is a combo box and can select an arbitrary flow.

  The operation procedure of the verification screen is as follows. When the administrator presses the distribution flow selection unit 10, the name of the flow definition data, for example, “Flow-1” is displayed. The selected flow definition data is displayed on the distribution flow display unit 12, and the administrator confirms that the flow definition data starts verification, and presses the verification start button 11. When the verification start button 11 is pressed, the functional component 34 executes distribution processing for each program.

  When the operation verification of each program is completed, the operation verification result is displayed on the guidance unit 13. If the operation verification is successful, the functional component 34 is displayed in “green”, and if the operation verification is an error, the functional component 34 is displayed in “red”. As an example, the verification screen shown on the right side of FIG. 2 shows each functional component 34 colored with the result of the operation verification, for example, document information replacement, image conversion, session designation, archiver, and mail delivery. Yes. That is, the verification tool 31 can visualize the operation verification result of the flow definition data and display it on the UI unit 51.

  An example of guidance displayed when the operation verification is an error is shown in the guidance unit 13 shown on the right side of FIG. Thus, by displaying the guidance corresponding to each functional component 34, the administrator can take an appropriate response. Note that the content of the guidance is not limited to these, and can be arbitrarily set.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a verification screen incorporated in the flow definition data construction tool. If the verification tool 31 according to the present embodiment is incorporated in a management tool (flow definition data construction unit (not shown)) used when building flow definition data, the administrator of the distribution management system can When the definition data is constructed (created), it is possible to verify and correct the flow definition data. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the verification screen related to the verification tool 31 may be displayed on the screen used when the flow definition data is constructed.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for determining the display of the operation verification result of the flow definition data. The user selects image data to be verified (step S40), and presses the verification start button 11 (step S41). The input data generation unit 53 creates input data (image data, bibliographic information) (step S42). The flow execution call unit 54 outputs the flow definition data read by the flow data acquisition unit 50 and the input data described above to the flow execution unit 33, and requests execution of operation verification (step S43). The flow execution unit 33 requests the functional component 34 to execute operation verification (step S44). The functional component 34 receives a request for execution of distribution processing from the flow execution unit 33, and performs distribution processing of each program (step S45). The flow execution unit 33 acquires the operation verification result from the functional component 34 (step S46), and outputs the operation verification result to the verification tool 31 (step S47).

  When the operation verification result of each functional component 34 is “success” (step S48, Yes), the verification tool 31 displays each functional component 34 on the distribution flow display unit 12 in green (success) (step S49).

  When the subsequent functional component 34 exists (step S50, Yes), the flow execution unit 33 proceeds to the subsequent functional component 34 and repeats the processes after step S44 (step S51).

  When the subsequent functional component 34 does not exist (step S50, No), the flow execution unit 33 ends the verification process (step S53), and the verification tool 31 also ends the verification process (step S54).

  When the processing result of each functional component 34 is “error” (step S48, No), the verification tool 31 displays each functional component 34 on the screen in red (error) (step S52), and after step S50 described above. Execute the process.

  As described above, according to the distribution management system according to the present embodiment, by selecting the flow definition data displayed on the verification tool 31 and pressing the verification start button 11, the verification tool 31 of the distribution management server 30, the flow Since the operation verification of the flow definition data is performed by the execution unit 33 and the functional component 34, and the operation verification result is displayed on the verification tool 31, the administrator of the distribution management system uses the scanner to try and error This eliminates the need for prior verification of the flow definition data, reduces the burden on the system administrator, and improves work efficiency.

  Further, in the operation verification of the flow definition data, a configuration in which the operation verification is executed for each functional component 34 may be adopted. Further, if the operation verification result is displayed on the distribution flow display unit 12 every time the operation verification of each functional component 34 is completed, the administrator can check the operation verification result in real time.

  Further, in the operation verification of the flow definition data, a configuration in which conditions such as the file format and the number of input data (image data and bibliographic information) can be designated by the verification tool 31 may be used. By specifying input data to be subject to operation verification, the verification work can be performed more efficiently.

  Further, in the operation verification of the flow definition data, it may be configured such that the parameters required by each functional component 34 can be designated by the verification tool 31. For example, in the case of a mail delivery program, it is possible to perform verification work more efficiently by specifying parameters such as a destination mail address and subject.

  Further, an emulator screen equivalent to the operation panel 41 mounted on the MFP 40 is mounted on the verification tool 31 of the distribution management server 30, and the above-described condition specification and parameter specification performed on the operation panel 41 are performed on the emulator screen. It may be. With this configuration, it is possible to unify operability with that during operation.

  The distribution management server 30 of the present embodiment includes a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an external storage device such as an HDD and a CD drive device, and a display. It has a display device such as a device and an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and has a hardware configuration using a workstation or a normal computer.

  The distribution processing control program executed by the distribution management server 30 according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable or executable format, and is a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). And the like stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

  Further, the distribution processing program executed by the distribution management server 30 of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. . Further, the distribution processing program executed by the distribution management server 30 of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the distribution processing program executed by the distribution management server 30 of the present embodiment may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The distribution processing program executed by the distribution management server 30 according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (verification tool, remote communication unit, flow execution unit, functional component, data access, database). As the actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads out and executes the distribution processing program from the storage medium, so that each unit is loaded on the main storage device, and the verification tool, the remote communication unit, the flow execution unit, Functional components, data access, and databases are generated on the main memory.

  A distribution processing program executed by MFP 40 of the present embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The distribution processing program executed by the MFP 40 according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk, CD-R, or DVD. You may comprise so that it may memorize | store and provide.

  Further, the distribution processing program executed by the MFP 40 of the present embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. Further, the distribution processing program executed by the MFP 40 of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the distribution processing program executed by the MFP 40 of the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (server information, display control unit, remote communication unit, image generation unit), and as actual hardware When the CPU reads the distribution processing program from the ROM and executes it, the above units are loaded onto the main storage device, and server information, a display control unit, a remote communication unit, and an image generation unit are generated on the main storage device. It has become so.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  As described above, the distribution management system, the distribution management apparatus, the distribution management method, the distribution management program, and the storage medium according to the present invention verify the flow definition data in which the processing flow for the digitized data of the paper document is defined. Useful in some cases.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the delivery management system concerning this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the module structure of a verification tool. It is a figure which shows an example of the verification screen of flow definition data. It is a figure which shows an example of the verification screen integrated in the flow definition data construction tool. It is a flowchart which determines display of the operation verification result of flow definition data.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Delivery flow selection part 11 Verification start button 12 Delivery flow display part 13 Guidance part 20 SMTP server 21 EDMS
22 File server 30 Distribution management server (distribution management device)
31 Verification tool 32, 44 Remote communication unit 33 Flow execution unit 34 Functional component 35 Data access 36 Database (storage unit)
40 MFP (image processing device)
41 Operation Panel 42 Server Information 43 Display Control Unit 45 Image Generation Unit 50 Flow Data Acquisition Unit 51 UI Unit (User Interface Unit)
52 User operation section 53 Input data generation section 54 Flow execution call section

Claims (12)

In a distribution management device connected to an image processing device via a network,
Image data input from the image processing apparatus, the flow the flow of processing for the image data is defined defined data, a plurality of functional programs that perform distributed processing is included in the flow definition data, and the flow definition A storage unit for storing bibliographic information associated with the data ;
A flow execution unit that requests execution of distribution processing to the plurality of functional programs stored in the storage unit ;
And read out flow definition data, the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data and the image data, and request a request for execution of the delivery process to the flow execution unit, displays the operation verification result output from the flow execution unit A validation tool,
A distribution management device comprising:   The distribution management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the verification tool visualizes and displays an operation verification result of the flow definition data.   The distribution management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the verification tool performs operation verification in units of the function programs.   The distribution management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the verification tool skips the operation verification for each function program.   5. The distribution management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the verification tool is configured to be able to specify each of image data and bibliographic information used for operation verification processing. 6. .   The said verification tool is comprised so that designation | designated of the processing parameter required for operation | movement of the said functional program containing a delivery destination mail address is possible. The one of the Claims 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Delivery management device. The distribution management device includes an emulator screen corresponding to a display unit of the image processing device,
The verification tool can specify the creation conditions of the image data and the bibliographic information and the processing parameters of the functional component by performing operations performed when scanning on the display unit on the emulator screen. The distribution management device according to claim 5, wherein the distribution management device is configured as described above. The verification tool is:
A user operation unit that receives an instruction to start execution of operation verification;
A flow data acquisition unit for reading flow definition data stored in the storage unit;
A user interface unit that displays the flow definition data read by the flow data acquisition unit and the operation verification result by the flow execution unit;
An input data generation unit for reading out image data stored in the storage unit and bibliographic information corresponding to the image data;
Requests the request for execution of the distribution process of the plurality of function programs contained in the flow definition data based on said image data and the bibliography information to the workflow execution unit, the operation verification result output from the flow execution unit A flow execution calling unit for outputting to the user interface unit;
The distribution management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: In a distribution management system including an image processing apparatus and a distribution management apparatus connected via a network,
The distribution management device includes:
Image data input from the image processing apparatus, the flow the flow of processing for the image data is defined defined data, a plurality of functional programs that perform distributed processing is included in the flow definition data, and the flow definition A storage unit for storing bibliographic information associated with the data ;
A flow execution unit that requests execution of distribution processing to the plurality of functional programs stored in the storage unit ;
And read out flow definition data, the bibliographic information corresponding to the image data and the image data, and request a request for execution of the delivery process to the flow execution unit, displays the operation verification result output from the flow execution unit A validation tool,
A distribution management system characterized by comprising: A distribution management method implemented in a distribution management apparatus connected to an image processing apparatus via a network,
A step of receiving an operation start instruction for operation verification;
Reading out flow definition data defining a flow of processing of image data input from the image processing device from a storage unit;
Displaying the read flow definition data;
Reading image data stored in the storage unit and bibliographic information corresponding to the image data;
Outputting the image data, the bibliographic information, and the flow definition data;
Performing operation verification of a plurality of function programs included in the flow definition data based on the image data and the bibliographic information;
Displaying operation verification results of the plurality of function programs on the image processing apparatus;
A delivery management method comprising:   A distribution management program for causing a computer to execute the distribution management method according to claim 10.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the distribution management program according to claim 11.

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