JP7192332B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and program.

In recent years, a system has been proposed that has a function of automatically generating a target program source from software specifications written in a natural language (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The system described in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal device for inputting software specifications, a processing device for processing the input software specifications, and a memory for storing the input software specifications and information created by internal processing. The present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a device, and uses software specifications written in a natural language as input information to generate a target software product.

JP-A-6-214776

When building a process flow such as a workflow, input the flow of the process in natural sentences and build the process flow from natural sentences. There are cases where a process flow is constructed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and a program capable of constructing a flow of processing by a method more suitable than only one of inputting natural sentences and manipulating objects to be displayed.

[1] A first receiving means for receiving an input of a natural sentence describing the content of processing for a processing target;
a second receiving means for receiving an operation of arranging a display object according to the processing;
a switching means for switching which one of the control of the first reception means and the control of the second reception means to be valid;
generating means for generating a series of processes according to the natural sentence or the operation received by the first receiving means or the second receiving means enabled by the switching means ;
The switching means switches from a state in which the first reception means is enabled to a state in which the second reception means is enabled in accordance with the generated index indicating the degree of completion of the series of processes. to be
Information processing equipment.
[2] The switching means switches which of the first reception means and the second reception means to be enabled according to an operation by an operator.
The information processing device according to [1].
[ 3 ] the switching means switches from a state in which the first reception means is enabled to a state in which the second reception means is enabled when the index becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value;
The information processing device according to [ 1 ] above.
[ 4 ] further comprising display control means for controlling to display the switching means when the natural sentence received by the first receiving means does not satisfy a predetermined criterion;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of [1] to [ 3 ].
[ 5 ] The display control means controls to display the switching means when the first reception means does not receive the input of the natural sentence within a predetermined time.
The information processing device according to [ 4 ] above.
[ 6 ] the computer,
a first receiving means for receiving an input of a natural sentence describing the content of processing for a processing target;
a second receiving means for receiving an operation of arranging a display object according to the processing;
a switching means for switching which one of the control of the first reception means and the control of the second reception means to be valid;
A program for functioning as generating means for generating a series of processes according to the natural sentence or the operation received by the first receiving means or the second receiving means enabled by the switching means. hand,
The switching means switches from a state in which the first reception means is enabled to a state in which the second reception means is enabled in accordance with the generated index indicating the degree of completion of the series of processes. to be
program.

According to the inventions of Claims 1 and 6 , it is possible to construct the flow of processing by a more appropriate method than either one of the input of natural sentences and the operation of display objects.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to construct a processing flow for either the input of a natural sentence or the operation of a display object according to the intention of the operator.
According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to switch to a method based on the operation of the display target according to the state of construction of the process flow without depending on the operator's operation.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, even if the input natural sentence does not meet a certain standard, the process flow can be constructed by the method of operating the display object.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, even if a natural sentence is not input within a certain period of time, the flow of processing can be constructed by the method of operating the display object.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen on which a workflow is generated from natural sentences and displayed. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen for generating a workflow for sending processing targets. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen for generating a workflow related to approver's processing. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen when a natural sentence that does not meet the criteria is input. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen displaying a configuration diagram when the natural sentence is changed. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the work screen when a natural sentence that does not meet the criteria is input. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen on which an icon list screen and a switching screen are displayed. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen on which sentences are generated from the configuration diagram and displayed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen on which a setting screen is displayed.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, substantially the same constituent elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations thereof are omitted. Note that the dimensional ratios of the images shown in FIGS. 2 to 10 do not necessarily match the actual dimensional ratios.

[Summary of Embodiment]
The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes first receiving means for receiving an input of a natural sentence describing the content of processing for a processing target, and second receiving means for receiving an operation of arranging a display target according to the processing. and switching means for switching which of the control of the first reception means and the control of the second reception means to be valid, and the first reception means or the second reception validated by the switching means and generating means for generating a series of processes according to the natural sentence or operation received by the means.

"Processing target" refers to an object to be processed by the information processing apparatus. Documents to be processed include, for example, applications, contracts, specifications, forms, and the like. A "series of processes" refers to a process flow (also referred to as a "workflow") constructed by associating at least one or more processes. A “display object” is a figure that graphically shows the contents of functions and processes.

"Natural sentences" refer to sentences written in a language that people use on a daily basis. The "natural sentence" of the present embodiment may be any sentence that allows analysis of the meaning of the sentence and extraction of words. Including sentences that contain fluctuations in expression. "Natural sentences" include, for example, written language used when writing documents, as well as spoken language used in oral communication in daily life.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of information processing device)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. The information processing apparatus 1 corresponds to, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a personal computer or a multi-function peripheral, or a portable information terminal such as a tablet terminal or a multifunctional mobile phone (smartphone).

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11 for controlling each unit, a storage unit 12 for storing various data, a display unit 13 for displaying information, and an input unit for inputting information. 14.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an interface, and the like. By operating according to the program 120 recorded in the storage unit 12, the CPU operates the first receiving means 110A, the second receiving means 110B, the switching means 111, the text analyzing means 112, the text correcting means 113, the complementing means 114, It functions as generation means 115, editing means 116, display control means 117, text generation means 118, warning means 119, and the like. Details of each means 110 to 119 will be described later.

The storage unit 12 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, etc., and stores a program 120, a component conversion dictionary 121, reference information 122, a workflow component list 123, screen information 124, and user information. Various data such as 125 are stored. In this specification, "storage" is used when writing information to the storage unit 12, and "recording" is used when writing some content to the above-described various information or updating the various information.

The component element conversion dictionary 121 is a conversion dictionary for replacing words extracted by analyzing natural sentences with elements constituting a workflow. Here, a workflow refers to a process flow (also referred to as a "series of processes") constructed in association with at least one or more processes to be continuously executed on a process target.

“Natural sentences” refer to sentences written in the language that people use on a daily basis (hereinafter also referred to as “natural language”). Spoken language etc. used when communicating verbally in

Specifically, "natural sentences" include the following types of sentences.
(a) Written in different notations despite having the same meaning and pronunciation due to differences in hiragana, katakana, kanji, alphabet, etc., and inconsistencies in okurigana when kanji are used. Types of sentences (that is, sentences containing fluctuations in expression), and (b) differences in the arrangement of components such as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, adverbs, omissions of any of these components, "is Differences in sentence endings such as , masu" and "daderu", differences in wording due to the use of dialects, synonyms, and abbreviations, errors in the particles of "te", "ni", "wo", and "wa", and Types of sentences that have substantially the same meaning, although there are certain differences in notation due to differences in formal syntax due to abbreviations, etc.

It should be noted that the "natural sentences" in the present embodiment may further include types of sentences that are required to be described according to certain rules, such as machine language, functions, and programming. Also, the language is not limited to Japanese.

The component conversion dictionary 121 may be fixed information, or may be periodically updated by a machine learning function such as deep learning.

The reference information 122 is information that serves as a reference for judging the state of the input natural sentence. The reference information 122 includes, for example, a first criterion for determining whether or not the text can be analyzed by the text analysis means 112, which will be described later; and a third criterion for determining whether or not execution conditions necessary for executing the workflow generated by the generating means 115 described later are satisfied.

Examples of cases where the first criterion is not satisfied include the following cases.
(1-A) If the fluctuation of expression exceeds a predetermined range,
(1-B) Cases such as when the grammar of the natural sentence does not meet a certain standard.
Criteria (1-A) and (1-B) are examples of predetermined criteria.

Examples of cases where the second criterion is not satisfied include the following cases.
(2-A) When the meaning of the natural sentence can be analyzed, but the structure of the natural sentence is insufficient (for example, when one sentence contains multiple descriptions related to processing, the second and subsequent If the subject is omitted in , see Figure 3),
(2-B) When the fluctuation of expression within a predetermined range is included (for example, when the processing target described as "transportation expense application form" is used for the second time or later, it is simply described as "application form" (See Fig. 3 for cases, etc.).

Failure to meet the third criterion includes, for example, the following criteria:
(3-A) When the workflow does not start (Refer to Fig. 5 and Fig. 9 for cases such as when a set value is not set.),
(3-B) When the workflow stops halfway (for example, when there is a contradiction in the set values or the flow of processing, see FIG. 7).

The workflow component list 123 lists elements (hereinafter referred to as " This is a table showing a list of workflow components. "Processing" includes, for example, creating a document, affixing an electronic seal (hereinafter also referred to as a "date stamp") within the document, sending and receiving the document to a specific destination, and the like.

The screen information 124 is information related to various screens displayed on the display unit 13 by the display control means 117, which will be described later, and figures forming each screen. The screens include, for example, the work screen 3 (see FIG. 2, etc.), the icon list screen 5 (see FIG. 8), the switching screen 7 (see FIG. 8), the setting screen 9 (see FIG. 10), and the like.

The graphics include icons and the like indicating the tools described above (see FIG. 8). An “icon” is a graphical representation of the subject, processing target, processing or function content, or a graphical representation of the subject, processing target, processing or function content with letters or symbols added. , which consists only of letters and symbols. Details of each screen and icon will be described later.

The user information 125 is information recorded in association with user identification information that identifies a user and user attribute information that indicates user attributes. User identification information includes a user's name, a user's ID, and the like. The user attribute information also includes, for example, information indicating the affiliation to which the user belongs (for example, an organization such as a company, department, department, or group; hereinafter also referred to as "tenant").

Next, details of each means 110 to 119 of the control unit 11 will be described. The first accepting unit 110A accepts a natural sentence describing the content of the process input from the input unit 14 . The second accepting unit 110B accepts an operation to move the icon displayed on the display unit 13. FIG. An icon is an example of a display object.

The switching unit 111 switches which of the control of the first reception unit 110A and the control of the second reception unit 110B to be valid. When the switching means 111 switches to enable the control of the first accepting means 110A, the first accepting means 110A accepts input of natural sentences. The second accepting means 110B does not accept an operation to move the icon.

On the other hand, when the switching unit 111 switches to enable the control of the second receiving unit 110B, the second receiving unit 110B receives an operation to move the icon. The first accepting means 110A does not accept input of natural sentences.

For example, the switching unit 111 switches from the state in which the first reception unit 110A is valid to the second reception unit according to an index indicating the degree of completion of the constructed workflow (hereinafter, also referred to as "completeness"). The means 110B may be switched to a valid state. The degree of perfection is, for example, the amount of displayed icons (for example, the number of icons, the number of connecting symbols described later, etc.), the presence or absence of display of frames, the setting status of association between processes by connecting symbols, etc. can be evaluated according to The degree of completion is an example of an index indicating the state of processing.

The switching means 111 switches from a state in which the first reception means 110A is enabled to a state in which the second reception means 110B is enabled when the degree of perfection is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the state in which the degree of perfection is When the value is greater than a predetermined value, the state in which the second reception unit 110B is enabled may be switched to the state in which the first reception unit 110A is enabled.

As an example of a case where the degree of completion is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a state in which no icons are displayed in the workflow display area 30 (see FIG. 2, etc.) described later, i. ), the switching unit 111 may enable the second receiving unit 110B and preferentially construct a workflow by an operation of moving the icon .

As an example of a case where the degree of completion is greater than a predetermined value, in a state in which a certain workflow has been constructed, when adjusting details such as settings and changes, the switching means 111 causes the first reception means 110A to be activated. It is also possible to preferentially construct a workflow by inputting natural sentences as valid.

The text analysis means 112 analyzes the natural sentence received by the first receiving means 110A, extracts elements constituting the natural sentence (hereinafter also referred to as sentence constituent elements), and converts the constituent elements of the storage unit 12. By comparing with the dictionary 121, the workflow components are extracted, and the extracted workflow components are further analyzed to extract the content contained in the natural sentence. The analysis performed by the sentence analysis means 112 includes, for example, morphological analysis, syntactic analysis, semantic analysis, contextual analysis, and the like.

If the natural sentence input to the input unit 14, that is, the natural sentence received by the first receiving unit 110A does not satisfy the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 (particularly, the second criteria), the sentence correction means 113 , modify the natural sentence so that the criterion is met. Note that "modification" includes adding some description to the natural sentence (also called "supplement"), deleting at least one or more descriptions from the natural sentence, and changing at least part of the description of the natural sentence to another. It includes replacing with the description of

Complementing means 114 corrects the input natural sentence when it does not meet the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 (particularly, the third criteria (particularly 3-A)), and corrects the natural sentence. into natural sentences with information that can be constructed.

"Workflow can be constructed" means that information for constructing a provisional workflow by the natural sentence is complete, that is, information for determining workflow components is complete. , that the main setting values are not omitted.

As an example, when the destination is not described in the process of sending the processing target, the complementing means 114 complements a predetermined person as a temporary destination, thereby forming a provisional workflow. Change to natural sentence.

The generating means 115 generates a workflow corresponding to the natural sentence received by the first receiving means 110A according to the result of the analysis by the sentence analyzing means 112 . Specifically, the generation unit 115 compares the sentence constituent elements extracted by the sentence analysis unit 112 with the workflow constituent element list 123 stored in the storage unit 12, and determines the subject, processing target, and object corresponding to each sentence constituent element. After specifying the tools, etc., a workflow is constructed by combining them (see FIGS. 2, 3, etc.).

Further, the generation unit 115 generates a workflow for the processing target according to the operation of moving the icon received by the second reception unit 110B. Specifically, the generation unit 115 analyzes the layout of the icons (also referred to as “layout”) in response to the operation of moving the icon received by the second reception unit 110B, and determines the relationship between the icons. After specifying the subjects, processing targets, tools, etc., these are combined to generate a workflow.

The editing means 116 edits the workflow generated by the generating means 115 according to the change of the natural sentence. Editing a workflow includes, for example, adding a process to the workflow, deleting a process from the workflow, changing the order of processes that make up the workflow, and changing set values of processes that make up the workflow. This "change" includes both the change made by the operator's operation and the change made by the sentence correction means 113 and the complement means 114 described above.

The display control unit 117 controls the display unit 13 to display a configuration diagram 500 (see FIG. 2 and the like) showing the workflow, natural sentences, and other display objects. In the following description, "control to display on the display unit 13" is also simply referred to as "display". In addition, the object to be displayed is also referred to as "displayed on the display unit 13" or simply "displayed".

The sentence generating means 118 generates sentences describing the contents of the workflow. Specifically, the sentence generating means 118 extracts the constituent elements of the workflow generated by the generating means 115 in response to the operation of moving the icon received by the second receiving means 110B, and converts them into sentence constituent elements. to generate sentences describing the content of the workflow. A sentence describing the content of the workflow is written in, for example, natural sentences.

The warning means 119 outputs a warning when the input natural sentence does not meet the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 . The method of warning by the warning means 119 includes, for example, a method of displaying warning information indicating a warning (also referred to as an “error message”), a method of emitting sound (alarm or buzzer) or voice, a method of lighting an LED, and the like. can be used. Also, the warning means 119 may output warnings in different manners according to the various criteria described above.

The display unit 13 includes a display such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display. The input unit 14 includes operating means for operating a mouse, keyboard, etc., recognition means for recognizing voice such as a microphone, and reading means for scanning documents such as procedure manuals to read written information. can be used. The display unit 13 and the input unit 14 may be integrated to form a touch panel monitor capable of inputting and displaying information.

The display unit 13 and the input unit 14 may not necessarily be provided inside the information processing apparatus 1, and may be provided in an external device such as a terminal device (PC or personal digital assistant). In this case, the information processing device 1 may further include a network communication unit to transmit and receive various information and signals from the terminal device via the network. Also, a plurality of terminal devices may be provided according to the number of operators.

(Operation of Embodiment)
Next, an example of the operation of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10. FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 is divided into (1) an operation of generating a workflow from a natural sentence and displaying the content, and (2) an operation of editing the workflow to generate a natural sentence and displaying it. , will be described in detail. Further, a specific example will be described below by taking as an example generation of a workflow including processing related to application for transportation expenses and processing related to approval. An application form (in particular, a transportation expense application form) will be described as an example of text to be processed.

(1) Operation of generating a workflow from natural sentences and displaying the content FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen for generating and displaying a workflow from natural sentences. As shown in FIG. 2, the work screen 3 is provided with, for example, a workflow display area 30 as an area for displaying the configuration of the generated workflow, and a sentence display field 31 for displaying sentences.

A configuration diagram 500 showing the workflow is displayed in the workflow display area 30 . The configuration diagram 500 is a diagram showing the details of the processing executed in the workflow, and in particular, it visually shows which subject processes what processing object and how, that is, who does what and how. is. The text display field 31 displays the natural text input to the input unit 14 and the natural text generated by the text generation means 118 .

(1-1) Generation of Workflow for Creating Transportation Expenses Application Form for Applying for Transportation Expenses When an applicant enters a natural sentence into the input unit 14, the first reception unit 110A accepts the input natural sentence. "Applicant" is an example of an operator.

Next, the display control means 117 displays the natural sentence received by the first receiving means 110A in the sentence display column 31. FIG. Also, the sentence analysis means 112 analyzes this natural sentence, refers to the component conversion dictionary 121, and extracts the elements that make up the workflow.

As an example, when a natural sentence 312 (hereinafter also referred to as "first natural sentence 312") describing "The applicant prepares a transportation expense application form" is input, the text analysis means 112 The first natural sentence 312 is analyzed to extract sentence components such as "applicant" indicating subject, "transportation expense application form" indicating processing object, and "creation" indicating processing.

If the input natural sentence does not satisfy the first criterion recorded in the above-described criterion information 122 (for example, if the text is difficult to analyze), the display control means 117 will give the applicant a natural A message prompting the applicant to re-input the sentence may be displayed, and the warning means 119 may output a warning prompting the applicant to re-enter the natural sentence.

Also, if the input natural sentence does not meet the second criteria recorded in the above-described reference information 122 (for example, if the natural sentence contains certain fluctuations in expression), the sentence correction means 113 may correct the natural sentence as appropriate, and the sentence analysis means 112 may analyze the natural sentence corrected by the sentence correction means 113 .

Generation means 115 generates a workflow corresponding to first natural sentence 312 . Specifically, the generation unit 115 collates the workflow components extracted by the analysis of the text analysis unit 112 with the workflow component list 123, and identifies subjects, processing targets, tools, etc. corresponding to each text component. .

More specifically, the generating means 115 identifies the application subject as corresponding to the "applicant", identifies the transportation expense application as corresponding to the "transportation expense application", and corresponds to "creation". Identify the authoring tool as Further, the generation unit 115 configures a workflow by combining the specified information.

The display control unit 117 controls to display a configuration diagram 500 showing the content of the generated workflow. This configuration diagram 500 visually indicates that the generated workflow is a process for an applicant to create a transportation expense application form. The configuration diagram 500 corresponding to the first natural sentence 312 shown in FIG. It is configured including an icon 52 .

Further, the display control means 117 may perform control so as to display the content of the processing according to the operator. Specifically, the display control unit 117 may display the configuration diagram 500 with a frame R separating the details of the process for each operator who is the subject of executing the workflow. In other words, it is visually displayed that the operator (applicant in the example of FIG. 2) is to execute the process related to the tool displayed in the frame R.

(1-2) Generation of Workflow for Sending Transportation Expense Application Form to Approver FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a work screen 3 for generating a workflow for sending a processing target. In the following, the contents that are substantially the same as those described with reference to FIG. 2 will be simplified, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. When the applicant enters a natural sentence in the input unit 14, the first reception means 110A accepts the input natural sentence, the display control means 117 displays this natural sentence in the sentence display column 31, and the sentence analysis means 112 This natural sentence is analyzed to extract the elements that make up the workflow.

As an example, a natural sentence 313 (hereinafter also referred to as a "second natural sentence 313") stating "The applicant affixes a date stamp to the application form and sends it to the approver." is input. In this case, the sentence analysis means 112 analyzes the second natural sentence 313 and extracts sentence structures such as “applicant”, “application form”, “date stamp”, “seal”, “approver”, and “send”. Extract elements.

In addition, the sentence analysis means 112 further analyzes the extracted sentence constituent elements, and adds to the second natural sentence 313 ``the applicant affixes a date stamp to the application form'' and ``the applicant stamps the date stamp to send the application stamped to the approver".

In addition, the sentence correction means 113 corrects the "application form" to "transportation expense application form" and supplements "the applicant is" before "send to the approver.", and the sentence analysis means 112 The second natural sentence 313 after r-correction and supplementation by the sentence correction means 113 may be analyzed.

Generation means 115 generates a workflow corresponding to second natural sentence 313 . The display control unit 117 controls to display the configuration diagram 500 corresponding to the generated workflow. This configuration diagram 500 visually shows that the generated workflow is a process in which the applicant creates a transportation expense application form, stamps a date stamp on the created transportation expense application form, and sends it to the approver. is shown in

As shown in FIG. 3, the configuration diagram 500 corresponding to the second natural sentence 313 includes an approver icon 50B in addition to the applicant icon 50A, transportation expense application icon 510, and creation tool icon 52 shown in FIG. , a stamp tool icon 53, a sending tool icon 54, a first connection symbol 501A, and a second connection symbol 501B.

An arrow 540 pointing from the first connection symbol 501A to the second connection symbol 501B is displayed between the first connection symbol 501A and the second connection symbol 501B. This arrow 540 indicates that the processing target is sent from the applicant to the approver.

(1-3) Generation of Workflow Related to Approver's Process FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 for generating a workflow related to approver's process. When the approver enters a natural sentence into the input unit 14, the first reception means 110A accepts the input natural sentence, the display control means 117 displays this natural sentence in the sentence display column 31, and the sentence analysis means 112 This natural sentence is analyzed to extract the elements that make up the workflow. An approver is an example of an operator.

As an example, a natural sentence 314 stating "The approver confirms the content of the application, and if approved, affixes a date stamp and sends it to the applicant. If rejected, the application is returned to the applicant." hereinafter also referred to as "third natural sentence 314") is input, the text analysis means 112 analyzes the third natural sentence 314 to Sentence components such as "confirm", "if approved", "date mark", "seal", "applicant", "send", "if rejected", "remand", etc. are extracted.

Further, the text analysis means 112 further analyzes the extracted text constituent elements, and adds "the approver confirms the contents of the application form" to the third natural sentence 314, and the condition for performing the processing after confirmation. ``Approve the application'' or ``Reject the application'' as the If you do, specify that the four contents of "remand the application form to the applicant" are included.

Generation means 115 generates a workflow corresponding to third natural sentence 314 . The display control unit 117 controls to display the configuration diagram 500 corresponding to the generated workflow. In this configuration diagram 500, the generated workflow is such that the applicant creates a transportation expense application form, stamps a date stamp on the created transportation expense application form, and sends it to the approver. It visually indicates that the process is executed according to the results of the process.

As shown in FIG. 4, a configuration diagram 500 corresponding to the second natural sentence 313 includes a confirmation tool icon 55, an approval symbol 61, a rejection symbol 62, a third connection symbol 502A, a fourth connection symbol 503A, and the like.

The approval symbol 61 indicates a condition for executing the next process (as an example, a process of affixing a date stamp and sending it to the applicant) on the transportation expense application form. Also, the rejection symbol 62 indicates a condition for executing the next processing (for example, the processing of returning the application to the applicant) for the transportation expense application.

Each arrow 540A displayed between the first connection symbol 501A and the second connection symbol 501B, between the third connection symbol 502A and the approval symbol 61, and between the fourth connection symbol 503A and the rejection symbol 62, respectively ~C indicate the direction of sending the transportation expense application form (see "510") between the applicant and the approver.

(1-4) When Natural Sentence is Changed A change in workflow when a natural sentence is changed will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 when a natural sentence that does not satisfy the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 is input. Note that FIG. 5 shows a case where a person having the user identification information 50Ca (see the character string "fx30710") is the applicant instead of the "applicant" shown in FIG.

When a natural sentence that does not meet the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 described above is input, the warning means 119 outputs a warning symbol 32 indicating a warning, as shown in FIG. The warning symbol 32 is, for example, a symbol including an exclamation point mark for calling attention. In FIG. 5, as an example of a case where the criterion (3-A) among the criteria recorded in the criterion information 122 is not satisfied, the second natural sentence 313 describing the sending of the application form shows approval as the destination. A case where the person is not described will be described as an example.

Also, when the second natural sentence 313A that does not describe the approver to whom the application form is to be sent is input, the complementing means 114 complements the specific person as a provisional approver. "Specific person" may be set according to the type of application form.

The “specific person” corresponds to, for example, a boss or superior who belongs to the same tenant as the applicant specified by the user information 125 stored in the storage unit 12 . Also, a list of candidates who can be the “specific person” may be set in advance according to the user information 125 . A specific person is an example of a predetermined person.

The generating means 115 generates a workflow corresponding to the natural sentence in which the temporary approver is complemented by the complementing means 114 .

The display control means 117 controls to display the configuration diagram 500 showing this workflow. As shown in FIG. 5, the configuration diagram 500 includes a worker icon 50D associated with a person having user identification information 50Da (see character string "fx20494") set as a provisional approver.

Moreover, the display control means 117 may emphasize and display the worker icon 50D and the user identification information 50Da. For example, the display control means 117 may change the color of the user identification information 50Da from the color of the other operator icon 50 (see FIG. 8), may display it in bold letters or slanted letters, or blink the user identification information 50Da. may be displayed.

Further, the display control means 117 controls to further display a first speech balloon symbol 8A including a first message 80A such as "Delivery destination is set". The first balloon symbol 8A prompts the operator to enter the destination. Preferably, the first balloon symbol 8A is displayed to indicate the destination to be set.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 displaying the configuration diagram 500 when the natural sentence is changed. An example will be described in which a change is made to add a destination to the second natural sentence 313A in which the destination is not described in the application form shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when the input unit 14 is operated to input the destination information 313Ba into the second natural sentence 313A, the editing means 116 generates the workflow generated by the generating means 115 according to this change. to edit.

As shown in FIG. 6, the display control means 117 controls to display the changed second natural sentence 313B to which the addressee information 313Ba is added in the sentence display column 31, and also controls to display the additionally input second natural sentence 313B in the sentence display column 31. Control is performed so that the configuration diagram 500 is changed and displayed according to the destination information 313Ba. "Changing the configuration diagram 500" means changing the layout of various icons that compose the configuration diagram 500, or changing the content displayed on the icons or the display mode of the icons.

Specifically, the display control means 117 displays the worker icon 50D associated with the person having the user identification information 50Da (see the character string "fx20494") set as the provisional approver, and the added destination information 313Ba. 50Ea (see character string “fx17761”).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the work screen 3 when a natural sentence that does not satisfy the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 is input. In FIG. 7, as an example of a case where the criteria (3-B) among the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 are not satisfied, the second natural sentence describing the sending of the application form is given to the approver who is the destination: The case where it is described as "applicant" will be explained as an example. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the applicant is set as the approver, so there is a possibility that the process will stop in the middle when the workflow is executed. That is, this example is an example of a case in which a contradiction occurs between set values.

When second natural sentence 313C describing "applicant" is input to the approver, generating means 115 generates a workflow in which the approver is temporarily the applicant. The display control means 117 controls to display the configuration diagram 500 showing this workflow. As shown in FIG. 7, the configuration diagram 500 includes an applicant icon 50A set as an approver. In addition, the display control means 117 may emphasize the color of the applicant icon 50A for display.

Also, the display control means 117 controls to display a second speech balloon symbol 8B containing a second message 80B such as, for example, "there is an error in the destination. Set the correct destination." A second balloon symbol 8B prompts the operator to re-enter the correct destination. Preferably, the second balloon symbol 8B is displayed to point to the delivery address (eg applicant icon 50A) that should be re-entered. Note that the warning means 119 may output the warning symbol 32 at a position pointing to the second natural sentence 313C, for example.

Also, although illustration is omitted, if the second natural sentence 313 is modified and the "applicant" described as the approver in the second natural sentence 313 is changed to another person appropriate as the approver, 6, the editing means 116 edits the workflow according to this change, and the display control means 117 changes and displays the configuration diagram 500 according to the change of the second natural sentence 313. to control.

In the above example, the input natural sentence does not meet the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122, but if the input natural sentence meets the criteria recorded in the criteria information 122 Even if it is changed according to the operator's operation, the operation is the same. That is, the editing means 116 edits the workflow according to the change of the natural sentence displayed in the text display column 31, and the display control means 117 controls to change and display the configuration diagram 500 according to the change of the natural sentence. do.

(2) Operation of generating and displaying a natural sentence from the configuration diagram (2-1) Operation of configuring the configuration diagram FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 on which the icon list screen and the switching screen are displayed. . The icon list screen 5 shows a list of icons representing workflow components. As shown in FIG. 8, the icon list screen 5 includes the operator icon 50, the application form icon 51, the creating tool icon 52, the stamping tool icon 53, and the sending tool icon 54 described above. Although not shown in FIG. 8 for convenience of notation, the icon list screen 5 includes a confirmation tool icon 55 .

The operator icon 50 includes an applicant icon 50A, an approver icon 50B, and worker icons 50C, 50D, 50E, etc. that indicate persons having specific user identification information. Further, the application form icon 51 includes a transportation expense application form icon 510 and the like. Note that the icons shown in FIG. 8 are only examples, and the icons are not limited to these.

The switching screen 7 prompts the operator to switch from the above-described (1) operation of generating a workflow from a natural sentence and displaying the content (hereinafter also referred to as "(1) operation") to (2) the workflow. This is a screen for switching to an action of editing to generate and display a natural sentence (hereinafter, also referred to as "(2) action"). The switching screen 7 includes, for example, a switching button 70 for switching between the operation (1) and the operation (2). "Priority to sentences" indicates the operation of (1), and "Priority to drawings" indicates the operation of (2). The switching screen 7 is an example of the switching means 111 .

When the switch button 70 is used to switch from "prioritize drawings" (that is, the state in which operation (2) is selected) to "prioritize text" (in other words, the state in which operation (1) is selected), switching The means 111 switches from a state in which the control of the second receiving means 110B is enabled to a state in which the control of the first receiving means 110A is enabled. The switching button 70 is an example of the switching means 111 .

When the switch button 70 is used to switch from "prioritize text" (i.e., state in which operation (1) is selected) to "prioritize drawings" (i.e., state in which operation (2) is selected), switching The means 111 switches from a state in which the control of the first receiving means 110A is enabled to a state in which the control of the second receiving means 110B is enabled.

Note that when the switch button 70 selects "prioritize sentences", the sentence display field 31 displays an input guide sentence 310 that guides the operator to enter sentences (for example, "If you want to enter sentences, click here"). , etc.) is displayed.

The display control means 117 may control to display the switching screen 7 on the display unit 13 according to the display instruction of the operator. In addition, the display control means 117, when the natural sentence received by the first receiving means 110A does not satisfy various criteria (especially criteria (1-A) or (1-B)) recorded in the criteria information 122, , the switching screen 7 may be controlled to be displayed on the display unit 13 . Further, the display control unit 117 may control the switching screen 7 to be displayed on the display unit 13 when the first reception unit 110A does not receive the input of the natural sentence within a predetermined time.

In addition, without displaying the switching screen 7, it is possible to switch between validating the control of the first reception unit 110A and validating the control of the second reception unit 110B according to the degree of completion of the workflow described above. can be

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 that generates and displays sentences from the configuration diagram. When the switch button 70 is used to select "prioritize the diagram", the control by the second reception unit 110B is enabled, and the configuration diagram 500 showing the workflow can be created in the workflow display area 30. FIG.

When various icons 50 to 55 displayed on the icon list screen 5 are operated, the second receiving means 110B receives this operation. As shown in FIG. 9, when the configuration diagram 500 is created by arranging the operator icon 50, the application form icon 51, and the creation tool icon 52 side by side in the workflow display area 30, the generation unit 115 creates the layout of the configuration diagram 500. is analyzed to generate a workflow corresponding to the configuration diagram 500. FIG. Also, the sentence generating means 118 generates a natural sentence describing the contents of the workflow generated by the generating means 115 .

As an example, in the configuration diagram 500 shown in FIG. 9, the sentence generation means 118 generates the first natural sentence 312A describing "I will create an application form."

The generated natural sentence is displayed in the sentence display column 31 by the display control means 117 . The display control means 117 may control, for example, to display a natural sentence generated by the sentence generation means 118 according to the operator's display instruction, and when the operator's icon is operated, that is, , the natural sentence generated by the sentence generating means 118 may be displayed in real time.

Further, although illustration is omitted, the display control unit 117 may perform control so as to emphasize and display a portion of the natural sentence associated with the icon that is being moved. As an example, when an operation to move the creation tool icon 52 shown in FIG. 9 is performed, the corresponding character string "Create" in natural sentences is changed in color, bolded, or blinked. You may control to display in a mode.

(2-2) Operation for Changing Configuration Diagram When the icon is changed, the editing means 116 edits the workflow according to the icon change. "Icon change" includes, for example, changing the layout of icons, ie, moving icons, adding icons, deleting icons, and changing setting values for making icons work.

(a) Change of Icon Layout Referring again to FIG. 6, an example of changing the icon layout will be described as an example of the operation of changing the configuration diagram. The sentence generation means 118 changes the natural sentence according to the edited workflow. Also, the display control means 117 controls to display the changed natural sentence.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a person having the user identification information 50Ea of the character string "fx17761" is set in the worker icon (see 50Ea) indicating the approver, the editing unit 116 The workflow is edited, the sentence generating means 118 changes the natural sentence according to the editing of the workflow, and the display control means 117 controls to display the changed natural sentence.

Further, although illustration is omitted, the display control means 117 may perform control so as to emphasize and display the changed part of the natural sentence. Alternatively, the display control means 117 may control to display only the changed portion.

(b) Change of Setting Value Next, another example of changing the setting value will be described. As shown in the example of FIG. 9, when the operator icon 50 is simply arranged, that is, when nothing is set for the operator icon 50, sentences that do not contain the subject corresponding to the subject of creating the application form are displayed. generated. In this case, the warning means 119 outputs the warning symbol 32 around the first natural sentence 313 indicating that the applicant is not set.

Further, the generating unit 115 may generate a workflow in which a predetermined person (a person having the user identification information 50a (see the character string "fx30710")) is a provisional applicant. In this case, the display control means 117 may control to display the user identification information 50a (see the character string “fx30710”) related to the predetermined person in the configuration diagram 500 .

Note that the “predetermined person” may be determined according to the user information 125 . For example, it may be possible to select from users of the same tenant recorded in the user information 125 .

Further, the display control means 117 controls to display a third balloon symbol 8C including a third message 80C such as "Worker is set". The third balloon symbol 8C prompts the operator to set the applicant. Preferably, a third balloon 8C is displayed to indicate the applicant to be set.

In addition, when the application icon 51 is simply arranged, that is, when nothing is set for the application icon 51, the display control means 117 displays a fourth message such as "set the type of application", for example. control to display a fourth balloon symbol 8D containing a message 80D of A fourth balloon symbol 8D prompts the operator to set the type of application form. Preferably, the fourth balloon symbol 8D is displayed so as to point to the application form whose type should be set.

Further, in this case, the display control means 117 may perform control so as to emphasize and display the object character string 311 indicating “application form” in the first natural sentence 312A displayed in the sentence display column 31 .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the work screen 3 on which a setting screen is displayed. As shown in FIG. 10, the setting screen 9 is provided with setting value input fields 90 for inputting setting values. The operator can set the setting value by inputting the setting value on the setting screen 9 . The setting screen 9 shown in FIG. 10 is a screen for setting the applicant, but the setting of the type of application form and the setting of other setting values are the same. Detailed description is omitted.

When the configuration diagram 500 is changed by an operation of setting a setting value using the setting screen 9 or an operation of moving an icon, the editing unit 116 edits the workflow according to the change of the icon position. In addition, sentence generation means 118 generates natural sentences describing the content of the workflow edited by editing means 116 . That is, the sentence generation means 118 changes the natural sentence according to the change of the configuration diagram 500 .

As an example, when the applicant is set, sentence generation means 118 adds the subject "applicant" to the beginning of first natural sentence 312A. In addition, although not shown, the display control means 117 adds the added character string "Applicant" in response to a display instruction by the operator or in real time in synchronization with the operation of moving the icon. control to display.

Similarly, when the type of application form is set (for example, set to transportation expense application form), the sentence generating means 118 changes the object character string 311 from "application form" to "transportation expense application form". . Also, although not shown, the display control means 117 controls to change the "application form" to the "transportation expense application form" and display it. Further, the display control means 117 controls to change the user identification information 50a of the configuration diagram 500 to the character string "applicant" and display it (see FIG. 2, etc.).

In the above example, the workflow is changed by setting the setting values using the setting screen 9, but the workflow may be changed by changing the text displayed in the text display field 31. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. be.

Each means 110 to 119 of the control unit 11 is configured partially or entirely by a hardware circuit such as a reconfigurable circuit (FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit). You may

Moreover, it is possible to omit or change some of the constituent elements of the above embodiments without changing the gist of the present invention. In addition, steps can be added, deleted, changed, replaced, etc. in the flow of the above embodiment without changing the gist of the present invention. In addition, the program used in the above embodiment can be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM and provided, stored in an external server such as a cloud server, and used via a network. You can also

1 Information Processing Device 11 Control Unit 110A First Reception Means 110B Second Reception Means 111 Switching Means 112 Text Analysis Means 113 Text Correction Means 114 Complement Means 115 Generation Means 116 Editing Means 117 Display Control Means 118 Text Generation Means 119 Warning Means 12 storage unit 120 program 121 component element conversion dictionary 122 reference information 123 workflow component list 124 screen information 125 user information 13 display unit 14 input unit 3 work screen 30 workflow display area 31 sentence display column 310 input guidance sentence 311 object character string 312, 312A First natural sentence 313, 313A, 313B, 313C Second natural sentence 313Ba Addressee information 314 Third natural sentence 32 Warning symbol 5 Icon list screen 50 Operator icon 50A Applicant icon 50B Approver icon 50C , 50D, 50E Worker icons 50a, 50Ca, 50Da, 50Ea User identification information 500 Configuration diagram 501A First connection symbol 501B Second connection symbol 502A Third connection symbol 503A Fourth connection symbol 51 Application form icon 510 Transportation Expense application form icon 52 Creation tool icon 53 Sealing tool icons 54, 54A, 54B, 54C Sending tool icons 540, 540A, 540B, 540C Arrow 55 Confirmation tool icon 61 Approval symbol 62 Rejection symbol 7 Switch screen 70 Switch button 8A First Balloon symbol 8B Second balloon symbol 8C Third balloon symbol 8D Fourth balloon symbol 80A First message 80B Second message 80C Third message 80D Fourth message 9 Setting screen 90 Set value input field

Claims (6)

a first receiving means for receiving an input of a natural sentence describing the content of processing for a processing target;
a second receiving means for receiving an operation of arranging a display object according to the processing;
a switching means for switching which one of the control of the first reception means and the control of the second reception means to be valid;
generating means for generating a series of processes according to the natural sentence or the operation received by the first receiving means or the second receiving means enabled by the switching means ;
The switching means switches from a state in which the first reception means is enabled to a state in which the second reception means is enabled in accordance with the generated index indicating the degree of completion of the series of processes. to be
Information processing equipment. The switching means switches which of the first reception means and the second reception means to be valid according to an operation by an operator.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The switching means switches from a state of validating the first accepting means to a state of validating the second accepting means when the index becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . Further comprising display control means for controlling to display the switching means when the natural sentence received by the first receiving means does not satisfy a predetermined criterion,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The display control means controls to display the switching means when the first reception means does not receive input of the natural sentence within a predetermined time.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 . the computer,
a first receiving means for receiving an input of a natural sentence describing the content of processing for a processing target;
a second receiving means for receiving an operation of arranging a display object according to the processing;
a switching means for switching which one of the control of the first reception means and the control of the second reception means to be valid;
A program for functioning as generating means for generating a series of processes according to the natural sentence or the operation received by the first receiving means or the second receiving means enabled by the switching means. hand,
The switching means switches from a state in which the first reception means is enabled to a state in which the second reception means is enabled in accordance with the generated index indicating the degree of completion of the series of processes. to be
program.

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